


The Circle

by Jesse_E



Series: The Circle Series [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Dramedy, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2018-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-20 22:18:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 53,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6027445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jesse_E/pseuds/Jesse_E
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of six students at Stanlee Marvel High School and how they became a unique but close circle. It's Tony Stark's eighteenth birthday, and "crazy" doesn't begin to describe what happens during and after a fun game of Truth or Dare. Friendships are made. Some loves are found. Some loves are lost. What happens to who? Take a read and find out. Part 1 of a planned series.</p><p>Dramedy vibe but Rated M for language and smut in later chapters but mostly rated T. Disclaimer: I own nothing!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Students of Marvel High

CHAPTER 1: The Students of Marvel High

Senior year is always an interesting time for high schoolers. From college applications, to proms, year books, credits, exams, graduation, it's a lot. For a special group of students at Stanlee Marvel High, senior year was particularly hectic. There were many interesting students at Marvel High. There were the mysterious twins who spoke in Romanian to each other. An exchange student who was rumored to be African royalty. Some science major who was really into bugs. The good looking blind guy who was into pre-law. There was no shortage of exciting youth at the school, but the ones who took the cake were the special six; Steve Rogers, the corn-fed golden boy student body president and all American voice of the people; Tony Stark, tech savvy genius playboy and heir to the Stark Industries fortune; Thor Odinson, hunky exchange student from the country of Asgardia and aspiring football player; Bruce Banner, shy but Hawking level science geek; Clint Barton, the ever watchful bad boy ; Natasha Romanoff, sexiest girl on campus with serious skills and dripping with mystique. Though each of them were in their own group of friends, the six of them ended up more or less a "team" by the time senior year came to an end. With the last day of school right around the corner, Steve, Tony, Thor, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha all sat back and reflected fondly over their time together. Ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade were all well and fun, but they knew what began a lot of their excitement and formation as a "team"; Tony's birthday just a few months ago.  
*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
"Friend Bruce!" a heavily accented voice boomed from behind the shy young man.

Bruce Banner fixed his glasses and turned around. It was the end of the school day, and Bruce was doing his best to get out of there as soon as possible. His girlfriend Betty was sick in bed, and he wanted to hurry to her house and give her the homework she requested. Bruce smiled to himself. Even when she was sneezing and aching she wanted to get all of her work done, regardless of the fact that her teacher excused her of the assignment. He turned to see Thor Odinson, the six foot one football star and prime jock of Marvel High. Bruce was surprised to see him. He had been assigned to tutor Thor on their latest science project. Unsurprisingly enough, the Asgardian sports star was struggling with some of his academics, and the school counselor Mr. Coulson insisted on Bruce helping him out a little. Bruce spent most of his time either hanging out with Betty or studying or both. He had expected Thor to be the typical meatheaded jerk who could care less about good grades and more about chicks and football. To his surprise, Thor was not only fully cooperative but quite friendly. His accent and the way he spoke without contractions a lot was something to get used to, but overall he found his time tutoring Thor to be an enjoyable experience. He actually cared very much about doing well in school, but he merely had trouble understanding American science. During their sessions, Bruce would break down terms simple enough for Thor to understand and Thor would help bring Bruce out of his shell. Asgardians were known for being highly social people, and Bruce was only fully comfortable around three people; Betty, Mr. Coulson, and the science teacher Professor Selvig. Some of the other students were cool, too. Like Virginia Potts and that Steve Rogers fella. And now Odinson as well. It made Bruce feel good to have any kind of companionship with someone so different from him. Thor ran up to him with a smile that glowed like the shoulder length golden locks that covered his head.

"Hi, Thor. What's going on?" asked Bruce.

Thor whipped out a piece of paper from his coat pocket. Bruce almost wanted to laugh. Thor's long ankle length red coat almost looked like a cape sometimes. Bruce took the paper from Thor's hands and raised his eyebrows.

"Impressive." he said.

"My report got a B+ because of your marvelous tutoring! Thank you very much!" boomed the Asgardian.

Bruce smiled and ran a hand through his thick black curls.

"Oh it was nothing. I'm good at what I do." he said.

Thor laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.

"I have to come to ask if you will let me repay the favor." he said.

Bruce kept his eyebrows arched and pursed his lips.

"Don't get me wrong I'm more than happy that I'm helping you pass the class, but how were you planning on uh, repaying the favor?" he asked cautiously.

"As you may know, Tony Stark is a friend of mine. Today is his eighteenth birthday and he is planning on throwing a most extravagant costume party in celebration. I am here to ask if you will attend."

Bruce's eyes became saucers and his jaw dropped. He had almost forgotten that Thor was personal pals with Tony Stark. As in the heir to a billion dollar company and flamboyant rich boy Tony Stark. Marvel High was by no means a crappy institution, but he along with everyone else wondered just what a Stark was doing attending a public school rather than some private boarding school that resembled a four star resort with books. To add to it, Stark was a technological genius. It was a wonder he hadn't already started going to college by the time he turned thirteen. Tony was known for showing off all his new gadgets and state of the art tech, ordering food from five star restaurants and having it brought to the cafeteria, and arriving in shiny black limos so long that if he wanted to turn a corner on the road he would have to change limos. That Tony Stark. He had been friends with Thor for two years or so now. Hundreds of the students wanted into the Tony Stark clique, but it remained him, Thor, Thor's girlfriend Jane Foster, military enthusiast James Rhodes, future business woman Virginia Potts, and occasionally Steve Rogers.

"Friend Bruce, are you alright?" Thor asked suddenly, bringing Bruce out of his thoughts.

Bruce shook his head and cleared his throat. Thor looked at him expecting an answer. Bruce was unsure. Knowing Stark, virtually everyone in the whole school would likely be there. Things would be big. Things would be wild. Things would be crazy and crowded and loud and uncomfortable and,...probably a lot of fun. Bruce ran his head through his hair again. He was seventeen years old and had never been to an actual party in over a decade. He would be out of his comfort zone for sure, but maybe that was what he needed. Betty was an amazing girlfriend, but he knew he had to do something different if just this once with or without her.

"I'll uh, I'll think about it."

Thor's beaming smile returned.

"I still have your number saved in my cellular device. If you decide to attend, let me know and I will message you the time and address."

Thor clapped Bruce's shoulder one more time before walking around him and heading somewhere else. Bruce chuckled to himself again. Whipping from his body in the strong springtime wind, Thor's long red coat truly resembled a cape.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Tony Stark strode into Phil Coulson's office without so much as a knock or a word. The balding brunette looked up from his ever growing stack of paperwork on his desk. He sighed tiredly. The school day was over (for the students anyway) and he had a long afternoon ahead of him. Yet there he was, the freshly turned eighteen year old genius millionaire, in a suede black jacket, red tinted sunglasses and yellow undershirt. He gave Coulson a smug shit-eating grin as he lifted his legs put his shoes on his desk, loudly chewing his Hubba Bubba gum.

"Is there something I can do for you, Mr. Stark?" Coulson asked, looking back down at his paperwork.

"Oh come on, Phil. I know it's only been a few weeks since I've been here but I thought we were still on a first name basis here." said Tony, continuing to chew his gum.

"Tony, you know I love our little sessions, but I'm particularly busy today and the last bell just rung. Shouldn't you be out celebrating your birthday?"

"Awwww, Phil you remembered. That touches my soul, man."

"Tony!"

Tony blew a large bubble and popped it, his shit-eating grin staying on his clean shaven face.

"Well Phil, you've got me there. You're right. It's my birthday and it's a Friday. I should be getting ready for my costume party tonight, but I've discovered something that I had to tell you about."

Phil looked up from his paperwork. Tony's grin was still there and his shades were still on, but he'd had enough sessions with Tony to know he liked to wear them when something was particularly bothering him and he didn't want his eyes giving anything away. He could also see right through his sarcasm as though it were glass. It may have taken some time at first when he and Tony started talking, but Coulson was a smart guy. Phil sighed and clasped his fingers together.

"Alright, Tony, you've got my interest. Tell me, what have you discovered that apparently it's bugging you so much you couldn't wait until Monday to tell me?"

Tony smiled triumphantly as he angled his head and spit his gum in the wastebasket. His old man barely spoke a word to him when it wasn't about school, and he wasn't quite ready to tell his friends yet. Rhodey and Pepper would sarcastically dismiss him (though with good reason). Steve was clueless about this sort of thing. Thor, while a nice guy, wouldn't be able to keep his big mouth shut. Yes he got some sort of sick pleasure out of giving Phil a hard time, but Phil was who he went to with personal stuff on his mind. Hell, what else was a school counselor there for? Tony didn't give a damn if it was the end of the day and Phil had work to do. He's Tony fucking Stark and he wanted to talk.

"Well, Phil, as you know, for years now I've kind of been on a non-stop sex spree."

Coulson held a neutral expression, nodding to tell him to continue.

"I mean, I love sex. I love it, but I've never liked anyone."

Phil raised an eyebrow but his face stayed more or less the same.

"But what about-" he started, but Tony held up a hand and stopped him.

"Pepper? Look, the thing with Pepper and I is...complicated. We've dated on and off for the past two years, but things just got awkward."

"Awkward how, Tony?"

"Awkward as in she is one of the handful of people in the world willing to deal with me and my crap. Part of me took that as a sign of love, and we both decided to try and act on it."

"And?"

Tony blew a raspberry and clasped his hands behind his head.

"I don't know, man. We got hot and heavy a few times, but I still wanted to bone other people. I mean, if I was really liked Pepper I wouldn't have those urges anymore, right? We talked about it together, and Pepper decided I was too much for her to handle."

Phil ran his hand over his face. They'd had discussions about his relationship with Pepper before. Virtually everything he was saying wasn't anything new. Big shocker, Tony was a horny teenager with a sexual appetite as big as his ego. As if reading his mind, Tony chuckled and sat up in the chair.

"I know, I know, Phil. We've talked about this already. But I'm not finished."

"So what is this? You've got some second thoughts? You wanna try and give it another try with Pepper?" the man asked, leaving out 'again' as the last word he wanted to say.

Tony slid his shades down his nose, giving just a glimpse of his deep brown eyes.

"If I knew I could make it work with Pepper, I would try again in a heartbeat. Sadly that isn't the case. I think I like somebody else now."

"Okay. What makes you feel this way?"

Tony chuckled again.

"Let me tell you something, Phil. I'm a damn good looking guy. I've got money out the wazoo and tons of charisma. People practically throw themselves at me, and being the good Samaritan I am, I give 'em what they want. If I see someone I find attractive and I offer them my valuable services, they either accept it or they don't. If they don't, I could care less. I just move on to the next. I'm not a damn bloodhound so it's not in me to pursue anyone."

"I know you love to talk, Tony, but I believe there was a point you were trying to make here." said Phil, growing tiresome of Tony's constant bush beating.

Still smiling, Tony clicked his tongue and looked up at the ceiling.

"Well Phil, I believe I've found out there's someone I do want to pursue after all this time. Unfortunately, it's not Pepper."

"Mmmmhmmmm," said Coulson, intrigued once more, "would I know who this person is?"

Tony slid his shades back up his nose, once again covering his eyes.

"You might. I honestly don't know if you've ever spoken with them or not."

Coulson nodded his head.

"Okay then. Do you want to tell me who this person is? What do you want me to do about this situation, Tony?"

Tony took his feet off Coulson's desk and leaned forward, his grin disappearing slightly...Slightly.

"I want you to tell me how to go about pursuing them. I was next to clueless with Pepper and we both know how that ended."

Coulson chewed on his lower lip, trying not to let his composure leak his bubbling frustration.

"Tony Stark, you can't seriously be asking me to assist you seduce one of your fellow students. I'm only going to go so far when it comes to helping you, Tony."

Tony snickered loudly and playfully slapped his knee.

"As entertaining as that would be, no Coulson, that's not what I'm asking. I can handle the seducing part all on my own," he stated wiggling his eyebrows, "This person is on my mind a lot. Like, a lot. I'm not sure what I'm feeling exactly, but I want them. In more ways than one this time. See where it leads. This person is in my English and lunch periods with me, and they'll probably be at my birthday party this evening. What do I do? How do I go about this situation?"

Coulson's lips puckered out as he raised his brows and smiled with his eyes. Now he could see. Tony had a crush, and the playboy was interested in owning the model rather than leasing it. Coulson leaned closer to Tony.

"Well you said it yourself, Tony. You've got tons of charisma. Just approach this person and do something nice. Try being friendly instead of being a showman and see where it goes."

Tony's brows furrowed.

"What if it doesn't work? I mean I'm not seeing it wouldn't cuz you know I'm Tony Stark but, what if, ya know?"

Coulson let a few small chuckles escape his lips.

"Welcome to the real world, Tony."

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
Steve Rogers risked another look. He was terrible when it came to being stealthy, but he figured there wasn't any harm in trying. He grabbed his cup and lifted it to his lips. Not quite taking a sip of his tea, he turned his head to the right. There they were. In a booth at the far end of the coffee shop were the two of them; the beautiful but quiet redheaded girl Natasha Romanoff and her ever present partner (Friend? Boyfriend? Cousin maybe?), the infamous Clint Barton. They were both talking to each other and casually eating muffins, seemingly oblivious to Steve's occasional peeks. Steve wasn't so sure why he had the urge to "study" them all of a sudden. Throughout their four years at Marvel High, those two were exclusive company to only each other. Their relationship was ambiguous to everyone because anyone who dared ask received a death glare from Natasha or smart-mouthed remark from Clint. In most cases it was both, and they were left alone to their own shenanigans. Steve remembered during freshman year his yet-to-be girlfriend Sharon tried recruiting her for the dance squad. The captains of the gymnastic and cheerleading teams approached her as well, but it was always the same. Natasha showed blatant disinterest, despite strong rumors of her having superb skills in all three. Everyone guessed it was because of her relationship (or whatever the hell it was) with Clint. There were rumors that she actually did want to join the gymnastics/cheerleading/dance teams but that Clint said no and that was that. Clint, the boy who distanced himself both figuratively and literally from most people. The boy who's snarkiness and sailor mouth could give Tony a run for his money. Always the optimist and not one to succumb to gossip, Steve didn't want to believe that. Everybody has reasons for what they do. Clint and Natasha just chose not to reveal theirs. 

Steve put down his tea and took out his phone. He had various messages from his friends and other students. Most of them pertaining to Tony's costume party that night. Steve sighed. He was sort of friends with Tony, but he mainly stuck to hanging out with his girlfriend Sharon and his new friend Sam Wilson. A year older than Steve, Steve's childhood friend Bucky was already in college and growing more distant by the day. Excluding Clint and Natasha, Steve was cool with pretty much everybody in school. Raised on old fashioned values from his parents and grandparents, Steve was a firm believer in the power of the golden rule; treat others how you want to be treated. A tall well built seventeen year old, something about Steve just appealed to anyone who met him. He was the de facto leader on any and all group projects. He won student body president in a landslide with nothing more than doing some good deeds and flashing his toothpaste commercial smile. Everyone was friendly to him and he was friendly to everyone. He and Tony butted headed a few times when the Stark Industries heir first started taking classes with Steve, but Steve stuck it out and ended up winning the boy over. A rare feat according to Stark. Steve wasn't one for drinking and wild parties, so he didn't hang out with Tony too much after school but he always enjoyed being his company at school. He also enjoyed talking with Thor. Steve was practically the only one who befriended Thor when the Asgardian first arrived at Marvel High. Accent and all, no questions asked. Thor's popularity didn't start until he was seen in action during football and all the girls talked about how gorgeous he was, but none of that was important to Steve. It also helped that both of them were still bewildered with most modern technology. Steve preferred doing things himself and using basic functional technology and Asgardia was definitely still old fashioned in a lot of ways. 

Steve looked down at the messages on his flip phone. Sharon sent him a text saying that she was getting her costume ready. Sam saying his costume was finished and that he was on his way to buy some groceries before he left out. Tony saying that he would be running a little late with no explanation why. Thor stating Jane wouldn't be coming but he invited Bruce Banner to the party. Steve closed his phone. Tony's costume party. Steve wasn't so sure he wanted to attend, but it was the weekend and he didn't have any other plans. He finished his weekly assignments early and he didn't have any meetings or anything. Bucky wouldn't be able to make it. Sam was headed to his grandparents' home in Harlem tomorrow and Sharon really wanted to go. Thor suggested that with Steve there he could maybe keep Tony from going too crazy with celebrating his eighteenth. Steve chuckled at that. He wasn't sure what made him such an influence though. He was just being a good person like always but hey, whatever worked, right? Speaking of the party, Steve knew he had to head home soon, shower and put the finishing touches on his own costume. Tony's party wouldn't begin for hours, but Steve always liked being early for anything. Still though, it would be nice to hang out with someone beforehand. 

Tugging on his favorite blue sweater, Steve downed the rest of his tea and stood up from his table. He looked at the corner again, and saw that this time, Clint was looking back at him. Still munching on his muffin, Clint was staring right at Steve from afar. He didn't look annoyed or scowly like usual. In fact, if Steve wasn't mistaken, he looked observant. Puzzled even. It made Steve feel a bit uneasy, like the eyes of a hawk were gazing at him. Steve swallowed and took a deep breath. He was never one to back down from a challenge and his curiosity was killing him. He threw his tea cup into the trashcan and made his way to the corner. Clint's gray-blue eyes stayed on him with every step he made. Eventually Natasha grew curious as to what Clint was staring at so she turned her head and saw. The tall, handsome faced blond in a blue sweater and jeans came up in front of their table. Natasha sat cross legged, wearing a red v-neck t-shirt, a long black skirt and black stockings. Her fiery red curls flowed down to the middle of her back and her smokey eye shadow brought out the lime green in her eyes. Steve had to shake his head to keep from staring at her for longer than four seconds. Sharon was nowhere near ugly but damn Natasha was killer! Clint sat there, wearing a faded purple t-shirt, black leather pants and an open blue denim jacket, his brownish-blonde hair partially spiked on top. Steve couldn't help but notice his particularly prominent upper body when Clint slid his jacket off. He wondered what Clint did for exercise since like Natasha wasn't on any sports teams at school.

"There something we can help you with, Steve?" Clint asked.

Natasha gave Steve the faintest of a smile on her lips.

"We noticed you looking at us. You could've come over any time you know." she said.

Steve frowned at them.

"Really?" he asked, genuinely surprised, "But I thought you two never wanted to talk to anyone but each other."

Clint let out a chuckle, surprising Steve even more.

"We do make it seem that way, don't we?" he said,

"Truth is Steve, there aren't a lot of people out there like us. We may be picky about who we talk to but we aren't the antisocial delinquents other people have made us out to be. Well, at least not antisocial ones."

"To be honest, we're surprised this is the first time you've approached us. We trust you're not gonna ask if we're sleeping together?" asked Natasha.

Steve's eyes widened as he jumped a little. He wasn't sure why he was caught off guard by their bluntness. Tony talked this way all the time.

"I will admit I'm curious about you two's relationship, but I also know that's none of my business." Steve replied.

Clint and Natasha looked each other, nodded then looked back at Steve.

"Alright you've got our interest." said Natasha.

Steve arched an eyebrow.

"Wait a minute, is this really the first time someone was approached you and actually wanted to converse instead of asking what you are to each other?" he asked, shocked at the information.

Natasha brushed some of her curls away from her cheek and smirked.

"Most of the time they try to start off with bullshit small talk before either hitting on me or sizing up Clint when it comes to that subject. I have a very particular skill set, which makes me a very particular person."

Steve smiled triumphantly, causing Clint to look at him with an arched eyebrow of his own.

"What are you so cheeky about Rogers?" he asked.

Steve shrugged at the pair.

"Just happy I passed the test. I noticed when you saw me you didn't look like you wanted to shoot me."

Clint put his forehead in his hand, shuddering with silent laughter.

"Everyone thinks I want to kill them. Rogers, let me tell you a secret; I see better from a distance. I'll admit I'm touchy, but really if it looks like I'm mad at someone I'm probably just focused."

"Thennnn does that mean over half the students at our school are full of crap?" Steve risked asking.

Natasha shrugged her shoulders and sipped her coffee.

"You're not the first person to pass our test, but I'll admit you're the most honest and talkative." she said.

"So anyway, what'd you come over here for?" Clint asked, his eyes continuing to search over Steve.

"Well I'm sure you two have already heard that it's Tony Stark's birthday today and he's throwing a costume party. I don't know what you were planning on doing tonight but I felt like being nice and inviting you."

Natasha's green orbs squinted at Steve. Clint looked intrigued, but she remained suspicious.

"Seriously? Us? At Tony Stark's party? Why?" she asked, completely serious.

Rolling with the punches, Steve simply smiled warmly at her and shrugged again.

"Why not?" he asked back.

Clint and Natasha looked at each other again, having another conversation with their eyes. It amazed Steve how they could do that with each other. Clint was the first to bring his gaze back to Steve.

"Costume party you say?" he asked.

Steve nodded in reply.

"Kind of last minute as shit but, what the hell? You in, Nat?"

Natasha looked at her coffee and lightly bit on her index finger.

"I do have an outfit I've been saving."

She looked at Steve and grinned.

"Alright, Rogers. We'll go."

Steve clapped his hands together and smiled from ear to ear as he pulled a pen from his back pocket.

"Great! What do you say you two go get your costumes together and meet me at this address around say, six?" said Steve writing down his home address on the white strip of Natasha's cup.

Clint gave him a mock salute and smirked.

"Captain, it would be my genuine pleasure."

Steve snickered at the nickname.

"'Captain'?" he asked.

Natasha gave a full smile.

"Oh don't act like you don't know, Rogers."

 

A/N:  
If anybody read this, thank you lots. I hope you caught all the references thrown in there. Next chapter will include a lot more interaction. ~Jesse_E


	2. Meeting Up

**CHAPTER 2: Meeting Up**

Bruce walked into Betty's room to a big surprise. Sitting there by her bedside was another girl with wavy brown hair and w silky blue knee length dress. She was pretty and thin and handing Betty another box of tissues. He recognized her face but didn't remember her name. "Oh hi! You must be Bruce. Betty's told me a lot about you." the girl greeted. Bruce slid his backpack off his shoulder and set it next to Betty's dresser.

"Hi. I'm sorry but who are you?" he asked politely.

Betty sat up against her headrest. Her dark hair was in a messy bun and her gray shirt was stained with sweat around the collar.

"Hi, Brucie. This is my new lab partner, Jane." she said with a sniffle.

"Betty here is a dream come true when it comes to partners. I heard she was sick so I came by to give her some notes from class today. We got to talking and now, here I am helping her get better." said Jane.

Bruce smiled warmly as he made his way over to Betty's bed.

"Are you trying to replace me, Betty?" he joked, giving her a small kiss on the forehead.

Betty groaned but smiled back at him.

"Oh Bruce, how could I ever replace you?"

"Well, I got you Professor Selvig's assignment. You feeling any better?"

Betty shook her head and slumped further against the headrest, doing her best to keep her smile.

"My fever's gone down some, but I still feel like crap. Hopefully I'll be alright by tomorrow or Sunday. There's a lot of work to get done." she replied, following with a few small coughs into her fist.

Jane stood up from her crouching position and faced Bruce.

"So Bruce, Thor told me he invited you to the party tonight." she said.

"Thor?" Bruce asked, then something clicked in his head when he got a closer look at Jane.

"Oh! That's right! You're Jane Foster." he said.

Jane playfully curtsied to him and giggled.

"Yup. Thor's my beau. He told me a little earlier that he invited you to Tony's costume party tonight. I'm not going but Thor would like to see you there if you're interested."

Bruce looked at Betty, who even while sweating and coughing and with a cold was still the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Betty saw his expression and waved her hand 'no'.

"Bruce, it's alright if you want to go, ya know. I know you've grown to like Thor and when was the last time you were invited to a party?"

"Ten years ago when you turned seven." Bruce replied.

They both smiled fondly at the memory. It was the first time they met.

"I'll admit I'm curious about going to a Stark party, but I'm unsure about going without you." Bruce said.

Betty chuckled briefly before coughing again.

"Bruce you're too good to me." she said, closing her eyes and massaging her temples.

"It's okay, Bruce," Jane said, "I'm not going to lie. Stark might get a little crazy, but Thor will be there to keep an eye on things. So will Steve Rogers. You know, class president Steve Rogers?"

Bruce nodded his head. Jane definitely had a point.

"You sure you'll be okay without me, Betty?" he asked.

Betty nodded and reached for her glass of water on her nightstand. "I'll survive, Brucie. You know I love you but I'm sick as a dog and you clearly need to take your mind off things and have fun." Bruce let out a breath. He still wasn't one-hundred percent sure about going to Stark's party, but Betty was right. With senior year already in it's second semester, Bruce's mind was fully occupied on a daily basis. He knew he was smart, but it was in him to always study more. Always work more. Earn extra credit. Take every practice exam possible. Memorize a text book cover to cover. Go over which universities he was interested in. Spend time with Betty. Repeat. He grinned at Jane. Slowly, he uttered,

"Tell Thor,...I'll go." Jane smiled widely as she immediately grabbed her cell from her pocket.

Stark Phone. Of course. She was in Tony's circle with her boyfriend. Bruce gave Betty another light kiss on the forehead before heading out. He didn't have a ton of time but he knew which costume he could throw together.

"Don't worry. I'll be here to watch over my new friend while you go have fun with your new friend." said Jane, sliding Betty's glass closer to her hand.

"I love you, Brucie." Betty croaked.

It broke Bruce's heart to see his sweetheart this way, but he could tell Betty meant what she said. Jane was a nice girl. She would be fine.

"I love you, Betty Boo."

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

If she saw anyone else standing on the edge of a two story roof staring blankly out to the horizon, Natasha would've been very concerned. But it wasn't anyone else. It was Clint, her partner in crime for the past four years. She knew that with Clint's past training and muscle memory, he could balance himself on the edge of a skyscraper doing a handstand for hours if he wanted to. His storm colored eyes scanned the neighborhood. His razor sharp eyesight saw everything in detail in his line of sight, and Natasha felt good knowing that she was one of the few people he didn't need to distance himself from to see.

"You going to get ready, Clint?" she asked.

After talking with Steve at the coffee shop, Clint and Natasha stayed there for another hour or so in comfortable silence. Natasha filed at her nails after she finished her coffee and Clint munched on nearly a dozen muffins. Clint's appetite always amused Natasha. Some days he would eat nothing more than a turkey sandwich and some almonds. Other days he would eat an entire pizza and ask for her leftovers. Steve had intrigued them, and somehow his charm won them over. However, Natasha wasn't completely sold that going to Tony Stark's party was a good idea. Steve was a nice guy, but she was sure that something could and would go wrong. She and Clint didn't have to look at Tony for more than ten seconds before coming to the conclusion that he was nothing more than a conceited, spoiled brat. One who just happened to be smarter than your average millionaire. Why good natured folk like Steve and Pepper Potts hung out with him was beyond her. But, Clint was convinced, and that was all she needed. She figured if she was going to go to the birthday celebration of an over the top teenage millionaire, then she might as well go with Clint and try and have fun. He turned around and smiled at her, and it made her heart melt. Few people got to see this side of Clint and she considered herself lucky.

"Nat can I ask you a question?" he asked.

Natasha put her hands on her hips.

"Would it even matter if I said no?" she joked.

Clint chuckled before he continued.

"Am I the only reason you're going to this party?" Natasha's smile vanished, replaced by a frown as she looked down at her shoes.

Damn. Clint really did know her too well.

"Maybe," she said, knowing it was childish to play coy when he already knew. "but it's not like that's mattered much in the past with us. Why now? Why did you even agree to go to the party?"

Clint crossed his arms and looked straight at her.

"Something about what Steve said." he said.

Natasha looked back up, her green eyes at level with his.

"What do you mean?" she asked him.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm extremely skeptical about going to Tony's party. The guy's a class A prick no doubt. However, when you asked why would we of all people be at a party like that, Steve said 'why not'. And he meant it. I don't know. For some reason it just struck something inside me."

Natasha gave a closed mouth smile as she took a few steps and closed the distance between them.

"Clint, you know on one hand I can count how many people I like. Steve Rogers may be Wonder Boy or whatever, but you know how I am and how I can get. I trust you and your judgment so yes, you're the only reason I'm going. I'll try and enjoy myself, but I make no promises."

Clint gave Natasha a quick peck on the lips.

"Nat, it's just a party. I know full well how you are but something about Steve assures me we'll be fine. Speaking of Steve, you're right. Lets get our outfits ready. We gotta meet him at his house soon."

Clint spun away from her and grinned as he performed a perfect backflip off the roof and onto the lawn of her backyard two stories below. Natasha smiled and shook her head. They'd known each other for years now and he still felt the urge to show off for her now and then. She shrugged and followed with a flip of her own. **********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Some time later after Thor went home and fed his cat Mjolnir, he showered, took a short nap and woke up just in time to receive two messages on his phone. One from Steve and one from Jane. Steve's was simply a reminder to come to his house before they went to Tony's. As he placed his costume in his overnight bag, Thor smiled when he saw his text from Jane. Just met Bruce while at Betty's house. He said he'll go. He seemed nervous though so please just watch out for him. He nodded to no one. He was given a task, and he would make sure he accomplished it. No worries, Jane. We shall have a most exciting time. I will see you when it is over. His response said. Excited and filled with joy as he went outside to his car, he went to his contacts and dialed Bruce's number. He remembered the gentle young man gave it to him in case he had any extra questions about his project. The phone rang three times before Bruce picked up.

"Hello?"

"Friend Bruce! It is I, Thor."

He heard Bruce chuckle on the other end.

"Hi, Thor. Jane tell you I was going?"

"Aye, new friend. I am calling to ask if you would join me."

"With what?" Bruce asked cautiously.

"I have gathered my costume and I am going to Steve's house before we head to Tony's celebration together. Would you care to join me?"

"Steve? Steve Rogers?"

"Indeed."

Bruce went quiet for a few seconds, leaving Thor concerned. He was being nothing but open and friendly with the green wearing science lover. Why was he still being hesitant when it came to talking with him?

"Okay,...yeah, why not? I'm gonna need a ride though if you don't mind."

"It would be my pleasure, Bruce. I am entering my car as we speak. Where are you now?"

"Oh I'm home."

"Most excellent. Text me your address and I shall be there soon."

Bruce let out a nervous laugh, a habit Thor noticed his new acquaintance did a lot.

"Alright, Thor. I'll see you in a bit."

"Aye!" Thor ended the call and started the engine of his silver colored vehicle.

Bruce texted him his address almost immediately, and Thor's Stark Phone instantly gave him the fastest route to Bruce's house. Thor shook his head as he brought his car to life and went on his way. The technological marvels of Tony Stark and the rest of America would never cease to amaze him. Like Steve, he used basic functional tech back in Asgardia. The things that people could do with these devices, and everyone acted like it was no big deal. Tony found it amusing how Thor was fascinated by a "meager" Stark Phone. According to him it was a model from last year and basically worthless at this point. Thor begged to differ, promising to cherish his gift from Tony. He arrived in front of Bruce's house in seven minutes and saw the short young man sitting on his front porch with a gray plastic bag. Thor honked his horn twice, signaling that it was he who arrived in front of Bruce's residence. He saw Bruce smile as he grabbed his bag and walk to the passenger side.

"Hi, Thor. Nice ride." he complimented, gently tossing his bag in the backseat.

"Thank you, Bruce." Thor replied.

Thor put his foot on the gas and started driving the car to Steve's house. Bruce smiled warmly at Thor, but the boy kept quiet for most of the car ride. Thor didn't do well with long silences, so he broke it first.

"So, friend Bruce, what shall you be going as this evening?"

Bruce scratched his nose and said, "Freddy Kruger."

Thor looked at him puzzled. The name sounded familiar, but he still had a lot of catching up to do with popular American cinema. Like, a lot.

"You know, from the Nightmare on Elm Street movies?" Bruce asked when he saw Thor's expression.

"Oh. Is that the film series with the man in a strange mask who stalks babysitters with a knife?"

Bruce laughed lightly as he shook his head no.

"Wrong franchise, big guy. That's Michael Myers in Halloween. Nightmare on Elm Street has Freddy Kruger, the guy with razor fingers who kills teenagers in their dreams."

Thor frowned slightly at the description.

"I see. I remember being quite disturbed at the film during one of Tony's movie nights."

Bruce laughed again, this time harder. Thor was a little embarrassed, but it was nice seeing Bruce let go a little.

"If Nightmare on Elm Street scares you then I'm afraid you've seen nothing yet with American horror movies."

Thor suppressed a shudder. He wasn't looking forward to experiencing more of that anytime soon.

"What are you going as, Thor?" Bruce asked.

Thor's winning smile returned, happy the subject of scary movies was past.

"It was not my idea, but Tony suggested it and everyone else agreed with such enthusiasm that I could not resist."

Bruce's eyebrows arched out of curiosity.

"Oh really? Who is it?"

"New friend, I shall be going as Hercules!"

Bruce went into another fit of loud laughter, clapping and snorting as well.

"Oh my god! Thor that is the perfect costume for you!"

Thor's booming, throaty laughter accompanied Bruce's own.

"That is exactly what Steve, Jane and father said!"

Steve's house came into view as their laughter calmed down.

"Here we are, the Rogers residence." said Thor, parking in the drive way next to Steve's red convertible.

Thor and Bruce grabbed their bags out of the back of the car and began walking toward the front door when another purple car blasting hard rock music pulled up behind Thor's. Thor and Bruce turned around to see a familiar pair step out of the car. One a curvy redhead girl licking a cherry flavored sucker and the other an edgy blond boy with purple shades. Both of them had large bags of their own.

"I see we're not the only ones here to meet Steve. You know those two?" Bruce asked Thor quietly.

Thor shook his head.

"They seem familiar but I do not know them." he replied.

The redhead and the boy with purple shades strolled up to them, looking them over with curiosity.

"More of Steve's friends I take it?" the boy asked.

Thor felt Bruce shift behind him, the boy's shyness seeping back. Thor however was unphased. He enjoyed seeing new people.

"Why yes. I'm-"

"Thor Odinson. We know who you are." the redhead interrupted.

She gave her sucker another lick, smiling coyly at them.

"I am sorry. I am not able to say the same. Who are you if I may ask?" Thor asked casually.

"I'm Clint. This is Natasha." said the blonde, lifting his shades.

Thor flashed his bright white teeth at them.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance!" he said, roughly shaking hands with Clint and bowing slightly to Natasha.

"Yeahhh, same I guess." Clint replied with uncertainty.

He looked over to Bruce who had yet to say anything.

"Who are you?" he asked a little harshly.

"I'm um, B-Bruce. Bruce Banner." the curly haired brunet answered.

Natasha smirked at him, her eyes the same shade as Bruce's button up shirt. The four of them walked together up the driveway to the door.

"Pardon me for asking but, why do you two seem familiar? I do not recall sharing any classes with you." Thor questioned.

Natasha shrugged.

"People talk about us." she said plainly.

"Everyone with a y chromosome has unsuccessfully put the moves on Nat, and I've been in a few fights." Clint added, his tone just as casual.

Not wanting to open that can of worms, Thor and Bruce decided not to question them anymore on that subject. Thor knocked and Steve was there almost immediately. His ear to ear smile made an appearance when he saw the four of them together on his doorstep.

"Hey, guys! Come in, come in!" Steve's home was warm and welcoming, just like the young man who lived there. The smell of pumpkin and cinnamon candles permeated the air and tasteful kick-knacks decorated the various tables and stands throughout the house. Surprising no one, there was an American flag posted above the fireplace in the living room. Most of the furniture were varied shades of red, white, or blue, and Steve's wardrobe was no different. Whether or not that was intentional was anybody's guess.

"Thor, always good to see you. Clint. Natasha. Glad you could make it." Steve greeted as he set out chairs for his guests to sit in in the living room.

Suddenly Steve looked to Thor's side and saw Bruce.

"This is Bruce I presume?" he asked.

"Uh yeah. Hi, Steve. I voted for you."

Steve gave Bruce's clammy hand a firm shake, his smile unaltered.

"Nice to know. You guys go ahead and make yourselves comfortable and get dressed and what not. I'm gonna go upstairs and do the same."

Steve practically bounced his way out of the living room and up the stairs two at a time.

"Zany little bastard, isn't he?" Clint panned, earning him a sharp elbow to the ribs from Natasha.

"Steve's downstairs bathroom is that way." Thor informed, noticing Natasha's obvious discomfort in dressing in front of three other males.

Natasha gave Thor a knowing nod and went down the hallway. Bruce went to the corner of the living room behind one of the tall chairs, Clint in the middle of the room and Thor in the kitchen.

Five minutes later, Thor came back to the living room, fully dressed in his Hercules costume. His hair was gathered behind him in a rolled up ponytail, his biceps showing in all their glory from his brown sleeveless tunic. His brown kilt and leather sandles were accompanied with a fake sword tied around his waste and his black arm guards rested comfortably on his forearms.

"I am ready, my friends!" he announced, proud of his homemade creation.

"Jesus, Thor. You sure this isn't how you normally dress outside of school?" Clint joked.

Thor simply grinned, basking in the admiration he knew he would receive.

"I'm with Clint on that one. It just fits you, ya know?" Bruce chimed from the chair he was sitting in.

Bruce looked slightly less uncomfortable around Clint now that he was in costume. He didn't have time to paint any burn marks on his face, but the rest of his outfit was set. Brown fedora, red and green striped sweater, and brown glove on his right hand with fake blades on the fingers. Thor gulped at the sight. The Nightmare man was still fresh in his memory. Then his eyes went to Clint and he frowned.

"What are you supposed to be, Clint?" he asked. Clint was dressed in a purple Hawaiian floral printed shirt, low hanging green swimming trunks, purple flip flops, and two pukka shell necklaces. He was wearing a wig of bright blonde hair that went down to his shoulder blades, a backwards baseball cap.

"You can't tell? I'm a surfer dude." Clint replied, putting on his best accent.

Thor and Bruce snickered loudly at him. It sounded terrible.

"You guys look great!" they heard Steve call from atop the stairs, who with his black haired wig and long red cape they instantly recognized as Superman.

"Ha! You and Thor are unsurprising, really." said Clint with a grin.

Steve shrugged it off as he came downstairs and joined them in the living room. Thor looked around and suddenly it him.

"Where is Natasha?" he asked, looking at Clint who shrugged.

"Right here." they heard her say from the hallway.

Thor, Steve, Clint and Bruce turned their heads and in that moment, all of their jaws dropped. Natasha stood there, donning a strapless blood red grown that hugged her body and accentuated her already ever present curves. She wore elbow length purple gloves, purple heels, and had her hair so that much of it covered the left side of her face while the rest spilled down her back.

"Somehow I knew that's what you were going for, Nat." said Clint.

"Is..is she uh, uhhh, uhhhhhhh,..." Bruce mumbled, but the sight of Natasha made him lost for words.

"Jessica Rabbit." Steve finished for him, clearing his throat and tugging on his collar.

"Natasha, I must say you look rather incredible Thor complimented. He had to admit she looked pretty damn desirable, but it was in him to always respect women so he decided to look away at something else to keep from staring at her. Though the way Natasha was posing with her hand on her hip and grinning wasn't helping at all.

 

**A/N: Tony's party will be next. Do you have a favorite character so far?**


	3. The Pre-Party

A/N: Really quick, I would highly suggest listening to the tracks listed in these next few chapters while reading them to get more of the experience. :)

Chapter 3: The Pre-Party

Tony knew exactly who stood came up behind him before he turned around. Standing there was Pepper, the sort-of love of his life. He frowned when he saw she was still wearing her white blouse and khaki skirt.

"Pep, aren't you supposed to be dressed by now?" he asked, already in his police officer costume. 

Complete with a pair of fake handcuffs and a baton.

Pepper stood there and looked at him closely, her strawberry blonde bangs hanging over her sad eyes. Tony took out his cuffs and swirled them around his finger.

"You wanna test these out?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Tony, are you sure you want to do this?" she asked, ignoring his joke.

"Do what? Celebrate me becoming a legal adult? You know what's hilarious about that, by the way? I could join the army, star in a porn, vote, get married, but I'm not old enough to have a drink at a bar."

Pepper she blew her bangs out of her eyes.

"Like that's stopped you before?"

Tont turned around and looked back out of his window. Down below he saw teams of big armed workmen bringing in stereos, spin tables, lights and various other things inside through his front door. It was early evening. His party would be starting soon. A lot of people from school would be there. Tony hoped his new crush would be among them, and it killed him when he came to that realization. He both loved and hated this new feeling.

"Why do you ask?" he questioned.

Pepper strolled up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Rhodey told me about what happened the other day. I just thought you would want to take things easy for a while."

Tony closed his eyes and let out a sharp breath from his nostrils. Damn Rhodey and his big mouth. He saw the way Pepper looked at him, her eyes full of pity and concern. It was the exact reason he didn't want Rhodey to tell anyone else. He hated pity. Why would he need it? He's Tony fucking Stark!

"Pepper, when have you known me to takes things easy? Like, ever?" he asked.

Pepper couldn't help herself as she giggled softly.

"I know Tony, I know. I wasn't expecting anything different from you but you know me. I have to ask." she said.

Tony shook his head and let a smile come back. He wasn't upset at Pepper. He could never be upset with her.

"And you know me, Pep. What happened happened, and now I say 'fuck it'. Now you get your bony ass in that bathroom and get in your costume. Rhodey's on his way and I'm going to go get our VIPs soon. I need you to work your magic and get the party started while I do that."

Pepper gave Tony a small kiss on a cheek before she went and did what Tony asked.

"You're going to be the death of yourself, you know that?" she said as she closed the bathroom door behind her.

Tony looked out of his window again and saw more workmen carrying a rather impressive ice sculpture of his bust inside. He grinned his shit eating grin.

"I'm counting on that." he muttered to himself.

The double doors to his bedroom opened and in walked a husky pudgy faced man with graying curly hair.

"Mr. Stark, your ride is ready."

Tony spun on his heel and strolled over to the man, his grin going nowhere.

"Thank you, Happy. Lets get this show on the road, shall we?"

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Clint did his usual thing as they hung out for a little while waiting on Tony. Turns out Steve's mom had baked an apple pie and made crackers and cheese sometime before he and Natasha arrived. Steve, Thor, and Bruce sat at the kitchen table eating the pie (or rather what was left of it after Thor attacked the damn thing). He and Steve were yapping on about whatever while Bruce only nodded and talked occasionally. Natasha was there at the table with them, slowly nibbling away at her crackers. She seemed content in the company of the other boys, but she never said a word. Clint meanwhile stood in the corner of the kitchen, leaning against the wall and merely observing them all. He noticed all the little details about them, like how Bruce rarely looked up when he spoke and constantly ran his hand through his hair. The way Thor would lick the corner of his mouth, trying to catch any more taste of the pie from his trimmed stubble. How Steve sat up straight with perfect posture despite being around friends. At one point, Natasha looked over to him. Glancing at the empty chair between her and Bruce and back at him, Clint knew instantly that she was silently asking him to sit down there. Clint wanted to shake his head no and resume his position, but he knew the power the redhead had over him. If she wanted something from him, he would give it to her. Clint rolled his eyes as he very slowly pushed himself off the wall and over to the chair. When he sat down he looked at the surface of the table, mentally tracing the swirly patterns and zig-zag lines. He saw Natasha grin at him out of the corner of his eye, and he grinned back. It was weird. He was so used to sitting with nobody but Natasha all the time that sharing a table with three other people felt alien. He was grinning because as weird as it felt, these guys weren't so bad. Maybe, just maybe, he would-

"What about you two?" he heard Steve ask all of a sudden.

He and Natasha's eyes snapped to the boy, who was looking at them expectantly.

"What?" Clint asked, blinking himself out of his thoughts.

"Would you be interested in a movie night in the future?" Steve asked.

The corner of Clin'ts mouth curled up and his eyebrows lowered, making an expression that said "What the fuck?" Steve just met him not too long ago. He already convinced him to go to a party he wasn't even fully sure he knew why he was attending. Now he's inviting him to movie nights? Didn't Steve know who he was? Why would he ask that? Steve noticed his face and his eyes turned sad. ~Oh shit, now I've offended him~, Clint thought to himself.

"What movie?" he heard Natasha ask.

Clint turned to her. She wasn't smiling but her features were gentle.

"Three Kicks To The Head Part Three." Thor answered, who failed to notice the awkward moment between Clint and Steve.

Clint's expression went from confused to contemplative. He was actually a fan of the Three Kicks To The Head movies, and he hadn't seen part three yet. He looked at Steve and gave him a small smile, causing boy's eyes to light back up.

"Perhaps." he said.

He would see how tonight went before deciding on whether or not to give these people any more of his time.

"I would like to, but I haven't seen the first two movies yet." said Bruce.

"Then we will have to catch you up, friend Bruce!" Thor boomed, which caused Clint to flinch.

Damn the guy was loud. Suddenly Thor's phone began to ring loudly. He brought it out of a pocket inside his tunic and answered it, putting it on speaker.

"Friend Tony!" he greeted.

"Yes, hi Thor." they heard Tony say, his voice crystal clear over the speaker.

The five of them noticed music playing and the sound of an engine in the background.

"Tony where are you?" Steve asked.

"Down the street! Get your asses out here!" Tony ordered before quickly hanging up.

Steve shrugged as he stood up from his seat and brushed some crumbs off the S on his chest. Clint mock saluted Steve again as he stood up, too.

"Aye aye, captain."

Steve only smiled at the nickname as they grabbed their bags of clothes led his company outside. Sure enough in full Tony Stark fashion, there was a sleek looking black bus coming down the street to his house. Pictures of Tony wearing a black suit and striking various model poses plastered the entire exterior of the bus. Multicolored lights were flashing from the windows and Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" was blasting full force from the bus's speakers. Clint groaned at the sight, considering grabbing Natasha and going home right away. He only took one step backward before he felt Natasha painfully grip his forearm. She leaned into his ear and whispered,

"Clint, don't you dare. It was your idea for us to go. We're already dressed up, so were doing this."

Hating himself for it, Clint whimpered in Natasha's grip before he nodded. She let him go and he rubbed his arm. How could he forget the girl's hands were a vice when she wanted them to be? The bus parked in front of them and the music died down somewhat as Tony poked his head out the door when it opened.

"Get in, losers! We're going shopping!" the millionaire shouted.

Thor, Steve, Natasha, and Bruce scrunched their faces, the reference completely going over their heads. The policeman dressed teen slumped against the doorway, groaning loudly.

"Ugh! Oh come on! You guys don't get that reference?!" he cried.

They shook their heads as they went and boarded the bus.

"Mean Girls." Clint whispered into Natasha's ear.

"It's disturbing that both of you know that." she deadpanned.

Clint was about to respond when he saw the interior of the party bus and gaped in awe. Plush cream colored carpet covered the floor. Burgundy colored seats lined the sides of the bus, which were velvety to the touch. Various colored lights spun around on the ceiling. There were cupholders and compartments galore, and snacks decorated the ebony wood shelves above the seats. Being a bus it was extremely roomy, and a stripper pole stood in the center. Tony threw out his arms, relishing in his own money well spent.

"Maybe this won't be so bad after all." Clint muttered.

"Steve! Thor! Always good to see you!" Tony greeted, then his eyes spotted Bruce, Clint and Natasha.

He raised an eyebrow and bit his lower lip. Clint was sure it was Natasha making him do that.

"You three! I know you! Uhhhh, Bruce, right?" he asked, pointing at the curly haired brunette.

Bruce looked shocked, confused as to why he of all people was recognized by a Stark.

"Yeah. B-Bruce Banner. How did you-"

"I make it my mission to know people. Especially when they happen to give incredible science presentations, showing theories that no high-schooler should know about." Tony complimented.

He winked at Bruce, causing him to blush and look away with a shy smile. Clint almost forgot that Tony was also an egghead behind all the style and flair and over-the-top behavior. It must've felt nice being in the presence of another genius. He felt the same way about Natasha. With her looks and charm, she could be with the In Crowd any time she wanted without a hitch. But he knew what she was. He knew who she was. A fellow outsider. Tony looked at him and his partner and smiled even wider.

"And you are the Bonnie and Clyde of the school. Barton and Romanoff." he said.

Clint looked at Natasha with an arched brow. She shrugged.

"We've been called worse." she said.

"That we have." said Clint.

Much worse. Tony's gaze lingered on them as he continued chewing his lower lip.

"Jessica Rabbit huh? You know she was my first boner."

"Tony!" Steve shouted in her defense, but Natasha looked like she was trying to keep herself from laughing.

"Happy! Get us out of here!" Tony commanded the bus driver, completely moving past his strange comment before things got too awkward.

The bus jerked forward, and Tony waved his hands at the speakers, turning the music back up.

"So, obvious question, who's gonna test this thing out first?" asked Tony, head bopping to the beat of the song while gesturing to the pole.

Bruce shook his head and sat firmly in one of the burgundy velvet seats, grabbing a bag of Cheetos off the shelf behind him. Tony looked hopefully at Natasha for two seconds before she sent him one of her famous death glares. The playboy's swagger broke for all of half a second as gulped nervously and looked away. Clint grinned sideways at her. 

~That's my girl.~

Tony's smile returned when he passed over Steve (it was a given that old captain wouldn't do something like that) and he locked his brown eyes on Thor and Clint. Thor smiled warmly but politely declined. That left Clint.

"Come on, Clyde. I can't be the only naughty one in here." Tony coaxed.

Natasha smiled knowingly at her partner. She knew full well what Clint was capable of, and Clint suddenly felt more daring than usual. Clint gave Tony his own shit eating grin and playfully gave the long hair of his wig a flip.

"You have no idea how 'naughty' I am, Stark."

Tony threw his hands up.

"Whoo!" he yelled.

Tony then snapped his fingers, and the song changed to Britney Spears' "Gimme More".

"Is this seriously happening?" asked Bruce, grown incredulous at the sight of the school's bad boy about to pole dance for Tony Stark's entertainment.

"I believe it is, my friend." Thor answered, who was curious as to what was about to happen.

Clint took a deep breath. No backing down now, Barton. He lept forward, grabbed on to the pole and performed a perfect circular swing, the tips of his toes barely missing Steve's hairline. His companions' jaws dropped as he lifted his legs above his head, grabbed the pole with his feet and brought his upper body out perfectly straight. He winked at Tony and Natasha before twisting his side, grabbing the pole with his left hand. He swung his legs out, twirling himself around the pole. Round and round at an incredible speed. Tony and Thor were clapping and cheering him on. Steve and Bruce's jaws hung open, speechless at the sight. Natasha crossed her arms and smirked. She'd seen his flexibility and dexterity used in much more interesting ways in the past. After his twirls, Clint wrapped his right leg around the pole and let the rest of his body bend down backwards, perfectly aligned with the straight piece of metal. He grinned at the faces staring at him. 

~Oh they are loving this!~ he thought. 

Clint grasped the base of the pole and while upside down, spread his legs open in a perfect split and spun himself around more, causing Steve and Bruce to finally join in on the cheering. Clint brought his legs up and flipped gracefully backwards, landing into a sexy crouch just as the song ended, earning him a standing ovation.

"You spider-monkey motherfucker! Where in the hell did you learn to move like that?" Tony yelled, his face with a smile so wide Clint thought his cheeks would tear.

Catching his breath, Clint walked back over to Natasha who just kept smirking in silence.

"Sorry, Tony. I show, not tell." said Clint with a devilish grin.

"I gotta admit, I'm impressed, Barton." said Steve.

"A most excellent display!" Thor shouted, giving Clint a punch in the shoulder that made him wince.

Bruce said nothing but smiled and gave Clint a thumbs up. Against his will, Clint's grin transitioned into a full blown smile. He had no idea why the hell he just did that, but he was happy he did.

"You know, I was going to go next, but now I just don't see the point." said Tony.

Suddenly the bus stopped and the doors opened. Hopping aboard was a short pretty girl and a black boy who looked just as built as Steve. Both of them in costume. The girl was dressed in a lime green leotard with chocolate brown elbow warmers, red and white striped stockings, white fluffy boots, and a pink wig adorned with and candy hearts. The boy was dressed in a long black trench coat, a long haired dreadlock wig, and black top hat. The top half of his face was painted white resemble a skull face. The girl hopped up and wrapped her arms and legs around Steve, peppering his cheeks with sweet kisses.

"Hi, baby!" she greeted, kissing him on the lips.

"Hi, Sharon." Steve said back after they were done kissing.

"Are you supposed to be a candy shop, Sharon?" Tony joked, his eyes still on Clint and Natasha.

Sharon hopped down off of Steve as the bus moved forward once more and pointed a finger at Tony.

"You're damn right, Tony. A candy shop where the only customer is Steve." she replied.

Steve wrapped his big arms around her waist from behind and softly kissed her neck.

"Aww, Sharon that's so sweet." he said.

"Candy puns? Oh god, you're giving me diabetes." said Clint.

The boy in black snorted.

"Tell me about it. I'm Sam by the way." he greeted, sticking out his hand.

Clint shook it firmly.

"Clint." he said simply.

"And I'm Natasha. Nice to meet you Sam."

"Likewise." Sam replied, his eyes lingering on Natasha longer than he intended.

"Hiiiii, I'm Sharon. Steve's girlfriend." said Sharon, giving Clint and Natasha quick hugs.

Sharon looked at Natasha.

"I remember you, Natasha. I'm still bummed you didn't join the dance squad." she said.

Natasha shrugged.

"Teams aren't really my thing." she said coldly.

Clint nudged her, and then quickly she added,

"but uh, it's flattering knowing you think I've got what it takes."

Sharon just smiled at her.

"Oh that's alright." she said.

"So Sam, what are you supposed to be?" asked Bruce.

Sam jumped a little. He had nearly failed to notice the science lover.

"Papa Legba." he replied kindly.

Steve shrugged.

"He's been watching American Horror Story reruns."

Thor groaned at the word horror.

"You're a lover of horror as well?" he asked, still a tad uncomfortable with Bruce's choice of costume.

"You damn right I am. Plus it took me a long time to get this costume together." Sam replied.

Tony laughed and put a hand on the big guy's shoulder.

"Oh Thor, it'll be okay. One of these days I'm gonna have a horror movie marathon with you."

Thor's expression saddened, surprising Clint a lot.

"Am I being punished, friend Tony?" he asked.

Catching everyone off guard, Bruce threw his head back and let out a loud howling laugh, making everyone else to laugh, too.

"No Thor," Bruce started, catching his breath, "Tony's just going to try and desensitize you to American horror movies. By showing you a ton of them, eventually you'll get used to it."

Tony grabbed Bruce and threw an arm around his shoulder.

"Yes! Exactly!"

"I do not understand." Thor grumbled.

"Oh don't worry, Thor. You will." Bruce assured.

"Well now that we're all here, there's a birthday in need of celebration and a house to get to. Mine! Happy! Take us home, yo!" Tony shouted.

Tony, Steve, Sharon, Sam, and Bruce engrossed themselves in a conversation about what to expect at the party. Thor stood next to Clint and Natasha, who watched them in amusement. Natasha leaned in closer to Clint's ear.

"So Clint, why did you do your little dance? Don't get me wrong it was awesome but,... I thought those shows were just for me." she joked, but Clint could detect the seriousness in there.

He chuckled, scratching his scalp under his wig and cap.

"To be honest with you Nat, I really don't know."


	4. The Party

Chapter 4: The Party

Steve was pleasantly surprised. When he decided to conquer his curiosity about Clint and Natasha, he didn't expect them to even let him speak. Let along joke with him and say yes to his invitation. They didn't go into too much detail (as expected), but they opened up somewhat, explaining some of their way of thinking. Steve felt proud knowing that apparently he was one of the few people at Marvel High to pass what he liked to call their Eye Exam. Not proud in the way Tony would be, but happy of the fact that he got them to talk to someone other than themselves. That he convinced them to go to the birthday party of someone he was sure they disliked. That some of their coldness melted because of him. He was also happy Thor had more or less done the same with Bruce. When Clint and Natasha showed up at his doorstep, he couldn't help but smile. Part of him was worried that they may have only agreed to go just to shut him up, but there they were. Maybe this would be the day the two of them decided to expand their horizons friend wise. Now there they all were, exiting the party bus and eying at the scene before them. The bus parked in front of Tony's mansion, a three story marvel that almost resembled a castle. Cars were parked up and down the street. Countless students from their school, all dressed in various costumes, were flowing in to the front doors. Music as clear as day carried from the house to outside. "The Illest" by Far East Movement was bumping, the bass practically vibrating the grass on the lawn. Tony jumped out first, spreading his arms open.

"Happy, park the bus out back. Everyone else, lets partay!" he shouted.

Steve couldn't help feeling anything other excitement. Tony may be more than a handful 99% of the time, but his energy was infectious. Sharon walked arm in arm with him. Sam behind with Clint and Natasha, and Bruce right on Thor's heels. Bruce's shyness was ebbing away little by little, but Steve noticed how he still felt the most comfortable with Thor. They walked in through the front doors, and Steve flinched as the music grew even louder. Tony's downstairs had been transformed into a miniature dance club. The floors were blinking with white lights. Large clusters of people were jumping and dancing around like they didn't have a care in the world. A big line was forming around the massive buffet table in one corner and others were standing, drinking and chatting in another corner. Lines of red and golden lights swung all around from the ceiling. The DJ was at his high perched table, dancing along with everyone else as he worked his magic on the wheels of steel. The crowd near the front door parted like the Red Sea when Tony entered.

"He's here!" Tony announced.

The music paused momentarily and the crowd broke into deafening applause as he strutted forward in a straight line like a model. Steve shook his head. Tony liked to talk in third-person sometimes when he was feeling especially conceited. On a normal day Steve would have said something, but it was the boy's birthday. His eighteenth birthday. Let him enjoy it.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The guest of honor has arrrrriiiiiiived! Mister Toooonnnyyyyy Starrrrrrrrk!" the DJ announced through the speakers, causing another round of applause to ensue.

Tony went straight to the center of the dance floor where the party goers made a clear space for him and shouted,

"Hey DJ! I wanna dance! Play something good for me!"

"You got it, birthday boy!"

The DJ pressed a button, and the song "Yeah" by Usher began coursing through the stereos. The stereos being Stark tech, the bass of the song practically made the floor vibrate. Steve could feel it in his chest. Wasting no time, Tony whipped out his baton and started popping and locking to the song. He rocked his hips, spun around and did the robot like a pro. The crowd went crazy watching Tony do his thing, and Steve had to admit his jealousy. Not over Tony's money or lavish house or sexual prowess, but his dance moves. And not just Tony. He'd seen Sam, Rhodey, and now Clint in action. His girlfriend was captain of the dance squad for crying out loud! Sam joined Tony, doing his own impressive hip-hop dance routine, complete with spins, finger points, leg locks and shoulder rolls. Steve didn't notice how rigid he was standing until he felt Sharon nudge him in his side.

"C'mon, baby! We can't let those two have all the fun, can we?" she asked.

Steve let Sharon drag him into the dance circle, and she began doing her own thing. Sharon, being the outspoken cheery girl she was, wasn't going to take no for an answer. She rolled her hips and her spine, dancing and dropping down low in circles around Steve. Steve felt uncomfortable with everyone's eyes on him, expecting him to dance just as good. He let out a deep breath and decided "what the hell". He was nowhere near as good as Tony or Sam or Clint, but he wasn't completely helpless. Steve bucked his hips forward, swinging his arms back and forth and snapping his fingers along to the beat. The noise of the crowd was going nowhere. Steve smiled and let himself dance harder. He knew the sight of the most popular guy at school grooving with the dance captain and the class president must've been one hell of a sight. It only got louder as Thor came in at one point, holding his elbows outward and doing some sort of tap and river dance that went surprisingly well with the heavily bassed hip-hop song. The song began to fade out, but their dancing continued as the next one played immediately; Kat Deluna's "Drop It Low".

"Oh hell no!" he heard Tony shout angrily all of a sudden.

Steve stopped dancing and spun around, prepared to intervene in the blink of an eye. He hated conflict during times of celebration. He turned to see Tony staring at the other three members of their company. Bruce's head was down but he was bumping his shoulders up and down to the music. Steve guessed that was the best Bruce could do with dancing, but the real sight was "Bonnie and Clyde". In sync with the beat of the song, Natasha had her hands on her knees, popping her rear up and down against Clint's groin while he threw his arms up and rolled his spine like a snake. Steve's eyebrows went up. They certainly made quite a pair.

"You two bring that sexiness over here with the rest of us! Now! You too, Brucie Boy!" Tony yelled.

Steve felt himself relax and resumed dancing with Sharon.

It was just Tony being Tony. Clint, Natasha, and Bruce obliged Tony's request, and then the eight of them were a bundle of bodies dancing together. Popping, locking, shaking, grinding, dropping, whining bodies dressed in outrageous costumes. The rest of the crowd screamed at the top of their lungs with applause and claps and shouting "WHOOP WHOOP! WHOOP WHOOP!" Steve let himself get lost in the feeling. He hoped the rest of the night would be this much fun.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Three songs later, Natasha, Bruce, and Thor had to break away from the bundle and take a breather. The four of them gently shoved their way through the sea of costumed students to get to the buffet table. Stark Industry's catering company kept the table constantly stocked with snacks and drinks. Enough for every single person there to stuff themselves on. Thor grabbed a tray and filled it to the rim with crackers, pepperonis, cheese slices, chips, and jalapeno poppers and dug in voraciously. Bruce and Natasha were content, both with an egg-roll and a cup of punch. A massive ice sculpture of Tony's bust stood in the center of the table, its eyes locked on whoever approached the punch fountain next to it. T-Pain's "Bartender" was playing in the background. Bruce and Natasha were happily eating their egg-rolls while watching the rest of their little group continue to dance. With the song playing being softer than the previous selections, Steve was holding Sharon from behind and swaying back and forth. Sam was dancing with a girl dressed like a white tiger. To Natasha's surprise, Clint didn't seem to notice that she'd left. Her partner was facing Tony and the two boys were bouncing back and forth, snapping their fingers to the song. In fact, they were smiling at each other. Natasha pursed her lips. She didn't let it show, but Clint was surprising her a lot today. He let Steve convince them to attend the party. He pole danced for fun on the bus. He initiated their sexy dance that made Tony bring them into his bundle on the dance floor. Now there he was, dancing like he didn't have a care in the world. With a guy he called a 'class A prick' just a few hours ago. Without her. She would never admit it, but a part of her felt jealous. That smile of his was exclusive to her for years, and now there it was all out in the open. With Tony Stark of all people. The guy wasn't as much of a prick as Natasha thought. Sure he was demanding and egocentric, but he was also unexpectedly generous, infectiously energetic, and dare she say it, funny. However, he was still Tony Stark, and the fact that Clint was being so,...so,...open around him was weird. Good way? Bad way? She wasn't sure. She looked over to Bruce. He was still somewhat clingy to Thor, but she noticed he was opening up as well. She wondered how the rest of the night would go, and how things would be at school the following Monday. Was this night going to be like The Breakfast Club? A group of different teens bonding over one day before going their separate ways? Should she even care? She shook her head. Don't start overthinking things, Natasha. Tonight's been okay so far. she thought to herself.

"Hey you guys." a familiar female voice greeted.

Natasha looked and saw Pepper Potts walking up to Thor who was still stuffing his mouth with jalapeno poppers. With her purple shell-shaped bra, ankle length glittery blue skirt and a conch shaped hair clip in her wavy light red locks, Natasha instantly recognized her as Princess Ariel. Natasha was impressed with her firm, taut stomach muscles. Pepper was usually so business like at school that seeing her in a costume that showed this much skin surprised her.

"Greetings!" Thor said after he swallowed his mush.

"Great costumes, you guys." said Pepper, acknowledging Natasha and Bruce.

"Thanks. Virginia, right?" asked Bruce.

Pepper chuckled.

"Please, just call me Pepper. Aren't you Bruce? Betty Ross's boyfriend?"

Bruce nodded and smiled. Natasha raised an eyebrow. Nothing against Bruce but she was surprised he had a sweetheart.

"You've got a girlfriend?" she asked him.

Bruce scoffed playfully.

"Try not to act too shocked, Natasha." he said.

"Betty is lab partners with my lady Jane." said Thor.

Pepper looked at Natasha.

"I saw all of you out there with Tony. Nice moves. I couldn't look away."

Natasha let out a small chuckle.

"Thanks. I'm actually having fun." she let herself admit.

"You're Natasha, right?"

She nodded.

"I see the infamy with Clint and I still hasn't died down." she said.

Pepper shook her head.

"I don't buy into gossip. I will admit I find you two interesting, though. And don't worry, I'm not going to ask that." said Pepper with a chuckle, and Natasha, Bruce and Thor laughed.

The four of them were joined by another costumed party goer. A long faced African American boy dressed in a black leather trench coat, sunglasses and a bald cap.

"What's going on, people? I'm Tony's friend, Rhodey." he greeted.

"Natasha."

"Bruce. Morpheus I take it?"

Rhodey nodded at him then turned to Pepper and Thor.

"The cake's coming out soon. Tony wants you with him when they bring it." he told Pepper.

Pepper nodded back as Rhodey gave his trench coat a swish and melted into the crowd. Pepper turned around and clapped her hands.

"This party is sort of my doing soooo you guys enjoy the food and I'll be right back." she said, joining Rhodey.

Natasha looked at Thor and Bruce. She had caught her breath and her feet weren't cramping anymore. She adjusted the bodice of her dress and asked them,

"I'm going back out there to the dance floor. You guys coming with?"

"After I have finished eating. I am quite famished from all of our dancing." said Thor with a mouth full of cheese.

Bruce smiled but shook his head no.

"First time was fun but, I don't think it's in me to go back out there again. I'm not used to quite so much...attention on me."

Neither was she but if Clint Barton of all people could do it then so could she. Natasha shrugged and made her way back to the dance floor.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Clint was shocked. He was having a really good time. Clint already knew he was a damn good dancer, but he felt oddly flattered when Tony and the others cheered at his little number on the bus. He initially did it just for shock value, but they actually enjoyed it. Sharon and Sam came along, and Clint liked them just fine. When they got off the bus and saw that Tony's house had become a dance club, Clint hated that he was impressed with the spectacle. If only a little. The roaring of the crowds when Tony showed up made Clint want to puke, though. Tony wasn't as bad as he thought, but that ego of his was still grating his nerves. He was tense when they entered the house, but Natasha was there. She was his safety net and he would never be ashamed of that. All of the silly costumes, the loud music and the ocean of people inside made Clint dizzy at the sight. Then they all parted so Tony could do his ridiculous model walk to the center of the dance floor. Clint came so close to just walking out of there. He shook his head and he almost did, but Natasha glared at him, and he remembered what she said earlier when the party bus arrived. Clint got them into this, so he would just have to tough it out until the night was over. When Tony started dancing by himself in the center of the floor like nobody was watching, Clint was pissed that that had won him over as well. His eyes saw that when Tony was dancing like that, he wasn't trying to impress anybody or flaunt his talent. He was just having fun and being himself. 

~Alright, Stark. Not too shabby.~

The eight of them danced together in a big bundle for three songs straight. Clint's body was starting to grow tired, but he was having so much fun he ignored it. He noticed when Natasha, Bruce, and Thor left the bundle to take a break. He almost followed her, but something kept him on the dance floor. A less high-energy song came on. Steve was swaying with Sharon while Sam danced with another pretty girl, so Clint turned and faced Tony. The millionaire didn't seem affected by all the activity, so they did simple dance moves while smiling at each other. He was, dare he say, happy. Without Natasha by his side and dancing with a guy he scowled at daily, Clint was fucking happy. When that soft song stopped playing, the energy came back when "Less Talk More Rokk" by Freezepop began. Clint lost himself in the electric jam, dancing wildly like everybody else around him. He didn't know when Natasha came back, but during the middle of the song, he felt familiar hands grabbing his arm from behind. He turned around and smiled at her. She smiled back and grabbed him by his waist, closing the space between them in one swift pull. Clint dipped them low, and he was grooving on his heels while she popped her rear again. He brought them back up and bucked his chest against hers, thumping along with the bass. Natasha threw her arms up through her hair, shaking her head and swinging her hips against him. Clint wrapped his arms around her and swung his hips in sync with hers. Clint was loving this. There wasn't quite anything like dancing with your partner. When the song ended, the music died down completely and Clint found himself pleasantly out of breath. Natasha gave him a small peck on the lips and smirked at him.

"Nice to see you letting go like that, Clint." she said to him.

"I'll say." said Sharon.

"Damn, Clyde. You're just full of surprises, aren't ya?" asked Tony, patting him on the shoulder.

Clint wanted to roll his eyes at the nickname, but he couldn't help but grin at it. Like Steve did when Clint called him 'captain'. He took off his cap and fanned his sweaty face with it.

"Sure am. Why'd the music stop though?" he asked.

"Attention, people!" a voiced announced.

Clint, Natasha, Tony and the rest of the party guests turned to face the area by the DJ's booth, where Rhodey stood on a raised platform with a microphone. Pepper was there at his side, smiling politely at everyone.

"Good evening, everybody! We all having a good time, y'all?!"

Tony and everyone else shouted "WHOOOO!" and clapped, answering Rhodey's rhetorical question.

"Today, the guest of honor and one of my very good friends becomes a man! The big one-eight everybody!"

The crowd cheered again, and Tony bowed. Clint rolled his eyes. He just turned eighteen last month and the biggest thing he did was get blackout drunk with Natasha while they binge watched Psych and ate Cheezits. 

~All of this isn't so great.~

"Tony, get your ass up here! We have a surprise for you, birthday boy!" Rhodey called.

Tony did what he was told, receiving endless back pats and "congratulations" from random guests as he model walked to the platform. He hopped up and stood between Rhodey and Pepper, his shit eating grin making a comeback. The strawberry-blonde gently grabbed the microphone from Rhodey and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Tony Stark, you are one hell of a guy. You're a lot of fun to be around, and that brain of yours is almost as big as your ego."

The crowd laughed at her joke, including Clint. She got cool points from him for that.

"Tony, we've got two treats. The first one is this." said Pepper.

She snapped her fingers, and from across the room a group of caterers wheeled out a massive refrigerator sized cake. It was circular with neon blue frosting that actually glowed in the dark. On top stood a small circular platform with a lifelike mannequin resembling the guy in a fancy black suit. The guests oohed and ahhed at the thing as they wheeled it from the kitchen to the end of the buffet table, and Clint swore at himself. Dammit he was impressed again. Even Tony looked surprised at the cake. Wow if it didn't look delicious.

"And now, your second surprise. Here to sing happy birthday to Tony, everyone, miss Kaylee Foxx!" Pepper announced.

Clint's eyes bulged and he saw Natasha's jaw drop. He knew that Kaylee Foxx was one of her favorite artists. Despite most of her music being trashy pop, Clint thought she was one of the hottest women in music. Bursting out from the curtains behind the platform was Kaylee. The blonde bombshell was dressed in a magnificent sequined silver gown that was cut off in the middle, revealing her magnificent stomach and showing off her thighs. Tony actually jumped, speechless when he saw there standing right in front of him. Natasha was among the girls in the crowd screaming and squealing. Sharon and Steve were jumping up and down, Sam behind them covering his ears. Tony embraced the starlet who smiled and waved at everyone. Stroking the collar of Tony's uniform with her finger, every single person in the place joined her in singing.

"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birrrthdayyy dearrrr Tonyyyyyyyyy! Happy birrrrrthdayyyyyy toooooooooo youuuuuuuu!"

The loud cheers from earlier when Tony first entered were nothing compared to the earsplitting screams that came from everyone when Kaylee kissed Tony on the cheek. She posed, blew a few kisses and went back behind the curtains. Clint shook his head and smiled to himself. 

~Okay, maybe this is a little better than Cheezits and Psych.~


	5. Fun and Games

Chapter 5: Fun and Games

Everything was perfect! Perfect! Tony was having the time of his life. His sourpuss of a father was across the country on business (the bastard didn't even bother with a "Happy Birthday" phone call). Pepper worked her magic and organized one hell of a party. The music choices from the DJ were top notch. Everyone in school was there, admiring him and cheering for him and giving him all the attention anyone could ask for. The cake was amazing, both in looks and taste. Yellow cake with chocolate/caramel swirls and buttercream frosting that glowed! Kaylee Foxx singing happy birthday to him and giving him a kiss on the cheek! Pepper looking quite hot in her Ariel get-up. His new acquaintances Bruce, Clint, and Natasha were there. His new crush was there! Tony was so happy he thought he would burst. Hours melted away as he and the rest of his friends ate cake, laughed at the top of their lungs, and danced until their feet hurt. Even Bruce who seemed a lot less meek than he was when he first met him on the bus. At one point during the night a hot goth girl in a red witch costume made out with him. Another athletic bodied hottie in a green body suit was grinding on him with her firm butt in his hands. When he and his friends were dancing to the Cha Cha Slide, some guy in an ant costume had grabbed his ass, but Tony didn't mind. Sam unfortunately had to leave early. Something about visiting his grandparents out of town tomorrow. Tony had Happy take him home after they all said goodbye. It was past eleven in the evening when a large portion of the other guests started leaving as well. A few said happy birthday to him on their way out, most others didn't. That didn't matter to Tony. As long as the rest of his VIP crew was there with him, the people who came for free entertainment instead of actually celebrating his birthday could enjoy themselves to their hearts' content and leave. Some more time passed, and only a big handful of party goers were there. The caterers had stopped restocking the buffet table and the snacks were finally disappearing. The ice sculpture of his head was taken away before it could start melting. The big ass cake was reduced to a slightly messy corner. Pepper had them put it in a bunch of carry-out boxes and stored in the refrigerator. The DJ announced he was going to play one last song. When the music stopped completely, and Tony gave every one a high five as they laughed and panted.

"Oh my goodness! I think,...I'm gonna faint." said Bruce, who was wheezing and clutching his knees.

Tony was concerned for a second until he saw Bruce smile and wink at him. Tony chuckled. He really liked this guy.

"Yo, how about one last happy birthday for Tony Stark!" the DJ shouted, and the remaining guests all did so, filing out through the front door.

"Great party, yo!" the guy in the ant costume said as he passed him by.

Tony winked at him, remembering the ass grab from earlier. He looked at his VIPs who were catching their breath and clutching their sides. He still had some energy left and he wasn't ready to be alone yet. Not on his birthday. He already had enough of that on a daily basis. Pepper and Rhodey couldn't be around all the time after all, and spending time with old Howard was a lost cause for years now.

"You guys up for an after party? We can go upstairs." he asked, letting just the tiniest drop of desperation leak in his tone.

"I am, friend Tony!" Tony shouted, causing Clint who was right next to him to flinch.

Bruce, who was still using Thor as a safety net, nodded in agreement, still loudly wheezing. Steve shrugged.

"I don't see why not."

Sharon did her dazzling smile.

"Count me in, too."

"Hell yeah, man." Rhodey chimed in.

Pepper put her hands on her hips and smirked.

"You can't tie your shoes without me. I have to be there." she said.

Tony snorted as everyone else giggled at him. You're good, Pepper, but not that good he thought to himself. He looked at Natasha and Clint, who had opened his Hawaiian shirt all the way, revealing most of his defined torso. Tony gulped. He had a fine stomach, but he was nowhere as sculpted as Clint. Or Steve. Or Sam. Or Thor. 

~God dammit.~

Tony arched his eyebrows at them.

"Well? Bonnie and Clyde, you in?" he asked.

Clint and Natasha looked each other, and Tony could've sworn they were having a conversation without speaking. Tony was impressed. He didn't know if he could ever do that with anybody. If something was on his mind, he spoke it. Point blank. Natasha leaned on Clint's shoulder and grabbed his hand.

"Well we've made it this far with you. What's a little bit more?" she stated.

Tony beamed and raised his arms.

"Yes! That's what I like to hear! C'mon, people. The workers and caterers can take care of everything down here."

After they all grabbed their bags of clothes they hid under the chairs near the buffet table, Tony led the way. High fiving the last of the guests who were grabbing some last minute snacks before leaving. He threw the DJ a wink and a thumbs up as they walked past his booth and through the curtains. The rest of his downstairs remained mostly untouched. He saw the house cleaners here and there. Sweeping the polished marble floor or dusting the gold rimmed stair railing or putting new sheets on the Italian furniture.

"Damn. Nice digs, Tony." he heard Bruce say, surprised to hear the shy boy swear.

"I know, right? Follow me. We're going to my floor."

"Your floor?" Clint asked.

"The entire third floor of this house kind of belongs to Tony." Steve explained.

Tony turned his head and flashed his pearly whites.

"Damn right." he boasted.

He led them past the living room to the newly installed home elevator. He waved in front of the panel on the wall and the familiar ding ding sounded as the golden doors slid open with a hiss.

"This house is only three stories. Do you really need an elevator?" Natasha asked as they gathered inside.

"Bonnie my dear, we just danced for five hours. Do you feel like walking up three flights of stairs right now?" he retorted.

Natasha scoffed.

"Screw that." she said.

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Bruce was more than happy when they exited the elevator. His breathing had leveled out but his feet were killing him. He had danced on and off all night, and while fun it was exhausting. Physical activity wasn't something Bruce did often, but he still had a pretty good time. Oh hell, he had great freaking time! Everything was as over-the-top as he expected, but at least nothing too crazy happened. Tony snapped his fingers and some mellow jazz music started playing softly through the speakers on the ceiling. Bruce sighed deeply as they all kicked off their shoes and set them against the wall with their bags. He wished so badly that Betty had been there to experience this with him. The thick carpet felt great to his feet, and he reveled in the sight. Tony's floor was just as lavish as the rest of the house. He had his own kitchenette complete with a folly stocked fridge and small stove-top oven. The living room had a variety of couches and love seats with a large table near the corner. A big arcadia door to a wide balcony set to the left. There was a massive flat screen covering nearly an entire wall, various gaming systems and an extensive collection of movies and DVDs on the shelves on either side of it. The bathroom nearby was thrice the size of his own back at home. There was a deep set tub/jacuzzi combo and a huge walk in shower. Countless colognes and hair products lined the counters next to sink. His bedroom's double doors were open, revealing Tony's gold sheeted California King bed on a square shaped foot high platform in the center. Pictures of Tony in varying ages hanging all over the place. His walk-in closet was stuffed with clothes and shoes, almost as big as the damn kitchenette. The air smelled like Tony's cologne, which Bruce was sure costed the same as an average one-year college tuition. He thought it was all extremely excessive. Excessive but awesome. Steve, Sharon, Rhodey, Pepper, and Thor had all been there before so they seemed indifferent. He, Clint and Natasha were awestruck.

"Holy shit, Tony." he heard Clint say.

"I'll pay rent if you let me live on this floor, too." said Bruce.

"Ha! I'm gonna hold you to that, Brucie Boy." said Tony.

Bruce was nowhere near as wound up as he was earlier. He was still clinging by Thor's side most of the time but he wasn't so nervous anymore. It was a shame Betty wasn't there with him, but Bruce felt great. Clint, Sharon, Rhodey, and Steve all snatched off their wigs and caps. Thor unhooked his ponytail. Bruce took off his fedora, glove, and sweat soaked sweater, perspiration rimming the collar of his t-shirt underneath. He tied his sweater comfortably around his waist and tossed his fedora into the pile of wigs and caps the others made. Bruce and the others took seats on the couches and love seats while Tony went to the fridge.

"Anybody want a drink? I'm getting one!" Tony called out.

"Fuck yeah." said Clint.

"Aye!" shouted Thor, causing Clint to flinch again.

"Me too, Tony." said Rhodey.

"It's been a long night. I'll take one." said Pepper.

Bruce, Steve, Natasha, and Sharon all politely declined. Bruce tried alcohol once in his entire life, and he wasn't a fan of how it tasted or what it did to people. Tony returned to the living room, passing a frosty cold bottle of Bud Light to the four who asked for them.

"So tonight was fun." said Rhodey with a sip of his beer.

"I'll admit, I had a nice time." said Natasha, who was rested on Clint's lap on the love seat.

"Honestly I'm surprised you and Clyde are still here." said Tony.

Clint scoffed and took a swig of beer.

"So am I actually. I'm gonna be honest, at first I wasn't even sure why we came here."

"I like to think I had something to with that." said Steve with a smile.

Clint shrugged.

"Can't argue with that."

"Everyone, can we please give a round of applause to the lovely Pepper Potts? I know everything is always about me as it should be, but this party was her baby."

Pepper playfully bowed in her seat as the group clapped. The five who had beers raised their bottles to her.

"You're welcome." she said.

"By the way, how did you make Kaylee Foxx happen? I'm still geeking out over that." asked Sharon, bouncing just from mentioning her name.

"My party planning magic plus Stark Industries dough can make a lot of things happen." said Pepper.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Boy was that true.

"Might I make a suggestion as to what we do next?" Thor asked, who was shockingly already done with his bottle.

"Feel free." said Rhodey.

"I want to play a game I believe you Americans call 'Truth or Dare'." he said.

Bruce saw Clint almost choke on his beer as the gray eyed teen stifled a laugh.

"Are you fucking serious?" he asked with a laugh.

"Can we watch the language, please?" Steve asked.

Clint rolled his eyes but complied.

"I'm just saying, that would be fun...if we were twelve." he chastised.

Bruce shrugged.

"I don't see the harm. As long we don't do anything too outrageous." he said.

"Come on. Lets humor our friendly neighborhood Asgardian." said Sharon.

"Screw it. Why not? Afraid of what you might do or reveal?" asked Tony, leaning forward and smiling challengingly Clint.

"Come on, Clint." said Natasha, staring Clint right in his eyes.

Clint slumped his shoulders.

"Ugh. Fine. Let's be twelve for a while." he said.

Thor, once again not noticing the awkwardness, smiled and pumped his fist in the air.

"Excellent!" he boomed, making Clint flinch once more.

Bruce and everyone else scooted from the couches to the center of the carpet, sitting cross legged in a wide circle.

"Who wants to go first?" asked Rhodey.

Tony smiled widely and raised his hand.

"Duh! Me!" he shouted.

"Go ahead, birthday boy." said Pepper.

Wasting no time, Tony pointed his finger in Clint's direction.

"You! Clyde! Truth or dare?"

"Truth. As long as it's not about me and Nat." Clint replied.

Tony nodded.

"Fair enough. So, earlier on the bus after you did your impressive pole dance, you said you show, not tell. Well tough shit cuz I'm asking now; with those moves, Clint are you a male stripper?"

Clint's eyes went wide and swallowed a chug of beer far too hard, making him cough forcefully for ten seconds. Bruce couldn't help but snicker loudly with everyone else. Boy was Tony direct.

"As flattering as that question is, no Tony, I'm not." Clint said when he caught his breath.

Natasha was looking away from him, shaking with quiet laughter into the crook of her arm.

"Because of that I'm next," Clint declared, "Steve. Truth or dare?"

Steve looked at Sharon and back at Clint.

"Dare." the blond answered.

Clint gestured towards the cabinets in the kitchenette.

"I know Tony's got some liquor in there. I dare you to take a shot."

"Now there's something I'd like to see!" Tony exclaimed.

Now it was Steve's turn to go wide-eyed.

"Uhhhhhhhhhh," was all that came out of Steve's mouth, but Tony, Sharon and Clint picked Steve up by his elbows and practically dragged him to the cabinets.

"Guys? Uh guys? Guys! I've never even had a sip of wine before. I don't think I can do this." Steve said nervously as Tony grabbed a bottle of vodka and poured it in a shot glass that had his face on it.

Tony and Clint grinned as they both shoved the glass in Steve's big hand.

"Stevie, Stevie, Stevie. Don't you know the best way to get into a pool is by jumping in?" Tony coaxed.

Sharon kissed Steve's cheek.

"It's alright, baby. I'll be right here."

Steve's had was shaking as he ever so slowly brought the glass up to his lips.

"Steve, you can't sip a shot. You gotta swallow it as soon as you put it in your mouth. Don't be a pussy about it." Clint teased.

Steve glared at him.

"Language, Clint."

"Just take the fucking shot!" Clint and Tony shouted simultaneously.

Steve groaned loudly as he did as he was told. The moment the alcohol hit his tastebuds, his face screwed up tightly and he quickly swallowed it. Steve coughed loudly and doubled over, his hands gripping tightly on the edge of the counter. Sharon patted his back, her face a mixture of pride and concern.

"You alright, babe?" she asked him.

Steve stuck his tongue out and gagged.

"Holy SHIT! That was awful!" he shouted.

His swearing caught everybody off guard, and they laughed shamelessly at his expense.

"Lightweight." Tony taunted.

Sharon, Clint, and Tony guided the stumbling teen back to the circle and they sat down.

"My turn, now. Pepper? Truth or...Dare?" Steve asked with a strong hiccup.

"Uuuum, Truth." she answered.

"Who is your girl crush?" he asked.

All eyes locked on her. Now this was getting very interesting. Pepper's cheeks flushed, her face the same color as her hair.

"Honestly?" she asked.

"That's why they call it Truth or Dare, Pep." Rhodey teased.

Pepper looked down at her sparkly skirt.

"Natasha."

Natasha's eyebrows shot up as Tony made a purring sound.

"Really?" she asked.

"Don't act so surprised, Jessica Rabbit. I'm pretty sure you were everyone's girl crush tonight with that dress." said Rhodey.

"I must say you are quite ravishing this evening." said Thor.

Natasha gave her hair a flip and winked at Pepper.

"Thank you." she said in a sultry voice.

Pepper blushed even more and cleared her throat.

"I uh, I believe it's my turn now. Thor, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare! I fear NOTHING!" the Asgardian yelled, and Clint wasn't able to suppress another flinch.

Bruce giggled into his hands. It was funny every single time.

"Okie dokie. Thor I dare you tooooo,..."

Pepper looked at Tony, and an evil grin spread across her face.

"I dare you to give Tony a lapdance."

The other teens went "Oooooooooohhhhh."

"What?!" Tony exclaimed, his face more than startled.

"Well it is your birthday." said Sharon with a cheeky smirk.

Tony threw up his hands and hopped up in the closest chair.

"You know what? Why not? Thor, get your beefy ass over here and show me whatcha got!"

Thor got up, fearlessly strolling over to where Tony sat.

"Awooooh!" Clint shouted.

"Oh I can't wait to see this." said Natasha.

"Are you prepared, friend Tony?" Thor asked cautiously as he stood in front of the birthday boy.

Tony answered the Asgardian with a sideways smile and a snap of his fingers. What else would be playing other than the song "Lapdance". Bruce threw his head back and clapped. Thor giving Tony a lapdance was definitely the last thing he expected to happen this evening. Thor, who was closely watching the way Clint danced all night long, copied his movements. He put his hands behind his head and twirled his hips in a circle surprisingly well. Everyone was cheering him on except for Steve. The poor boy was still reeling from his shot. Thor lept forward and straddled Tony, his massive form catching Tony off guard as the millionaire gave an embarrassing sounding "Oof!" Thor not noticing continued his dance, pressing his chest against Tony's and whipping his hair back and forth. Tony was laughing, relishing in the outrageousness of the event. Deciding he had enough, Tony snapped his fingers and the song faded out. Thor hopped off of him and bowed graciously to his friends. Everybody including Tony clapped as he and Thor resumed their positions on the floor.

"Damn, Thor. You and Clint both oughta start a male exotic dance club together." said Tony.

"After what I just witnessed, I just might." Clint replied, finishing off his beer.

"I was only mimicking you, Clint." said Thor, brushing some of his hair behind his ear.

"Yeah well, take what you've learned from Clint tonight and do that for Jane some time." Bruce suggested.

Thor's baby blue eyes lit up.

"You think my lady Jane would like that?" he asked.

"Pal, if she doesn't, you break up with her immediately." Rhodey answered.

"It is now my time! Friend Sharon, Truth or Dare?" Thor asked.

Sharon scratched the back of her head and thought for a second.

"Uuuum, Dare." she said.

Thor rubbed his large hands together and glanced at the kitchenette.

"I dare you to bite a stick of butter!" he declared.

Sharon and the other two girls made gagging noises, causing the boys to snicker. Bruce was so happy Thor hadn't chosen him because that is disgusting.

"Are you serious?" she asked, reconsidering her decision.

She looked at Steve hopefully, who shook his head.

"Oh come on!" she cried, but Steve continued to shake his head.

"Consider this payback." Steve replied, holding his stomach closely.

Sharon whined as she stood up and went over to the fridge. She reached inside and pulled out a fresh stick of butter.

"Go ahead, Sharon! You chose Dare so you gotta do it!" said Pepper, who had now finished her beer as well.

Sharon peeled the wrapper. She put her teeth on the tip of the stick and paused, not yet biting down. Bruce saw Tony growing impatient and slapped his forehead when the millionaire started teasing.

"Do it. Just eat that butter, girl. Go ahead. Shove it in your mouth. This ain't your first time."

"Oh my GOD you must stop!" Sharon shouted, and everyone started laughing at her.

Red faced and upset at the teasing, Sharon took a huge chomp out of the stick of butter. She rapidly chewed and swallowed it, regretting it right away. Her mouth formed an O and her stomach wasn't feeling so good.

"Oh god,...oh god!"

Sharon bent down over the trashcan next to the counter and spit all she could inside, absolutely hating the taste in her mouth. The laughter grew louder, only calming down once she felt okay enough to come back in the living room and sit back down.

"Jesus that was terrible," she uttered, "Aaaanyway, I'm next now. Natasha. Truth or Dare?"

"Dare." the redhead answered right away.

"Nice. You're dressed as Jessica Rabbit, so I dare you to be super sexy and sing her song for us."

Tony rubbed his hands together.

"This just keeps getting better and better." he said.

Bruce stayed quiet, but he agreed with Tony. This was the most interesting game of Truth or Dare he'd ever been in. As a matter of fact, it was the only game of Truth or Dare. Wow. Then this is damn good for my first time. No questions asked, Natasha stood up in the center of their circle. She looked upwards, putting one hand behind her head, the other on her hip and she arched her back. Perfectly mimicking the cartoon sex symbol with perfect pitch, Natasha sang the song.

"You had plenty money 1922.

You wouldn't let other women make a fool of you.

Why dontcha do riiiiiiiight,

like some other mennnn doooo."

Bruce tugged at his collar. This was almost too much sexiness to handle. She walked her own model walk towards Thor and continued.

"Get outta herrrre.

Get me some moneyyy toooo."

She shimmied her chest at the Asgardian before making her way towards Tony and Rhodey.

"You're sittin down and wondering what it's all about?

If you aint got no money they will put you out.

Why dontcha do riiiiiiiiight,

Like some other mennnnn dooooo."

Natasha blew a kiss at them before slowly turning around, wiggling her hips and strutting back to Clint.

"Get outta herrrre.

Get me some moneyyy tooooo."

Natasha very slowly turned around and sat down, her back arched with one lug stuck straight out.

"Why don'tcha do riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight,

like some other mennnnnnnnnnnnnnnn"

She paused momentarily before finishing,

"Dooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo."

Natasha drew her leg down, and the whole room was silent for a second.

"Natasha, are you sure you're not just Jessica reincarnated in the real world?" Steve asked, breaking the silence first.

"Seriously! That was uh-mazing!" Sharon complimented.

"That was sexy as hell Natasha." said Rhodey.

"Thank you for that, lady Natasha!" Thor shouted.

"I agree. Thank you so much for that." said Tony, his compliment genuine.

Bruce and Pepper gave her two thumbs up and clapped.

Natasha nodded in quiet, letting everyone shower her with praise. She knew she was good. She didn't even have to try.

"So, now I hold the shell. Rhodey, Truth or Dare?"

"Uhhh, Truth." said Rhodey.

"Cool. I'm just gonna steal from Pepper. Guy crush. Spill it." she ordered.

Rhodey gulped and looked down at his socks.

"Oh, dammit. It's uh, it's Thor." he answered.

"Surprising absolutely no one. It's impossible not to have a man-crush on you, big guy." said Tony.

Thor smiled at Rhodey and Tony.

"Thank you, friend Rhodey. Thank you both. I take pride in this knowledge."

Rhodey looked back up and stared straight at Bruce. Bruce sighed. He knew it was just a matter of time.

"Yup, I'm lookin' at you, Banner. Truth or Dare?"

Bruce didn't want to risk taking shots, singing, eating butter or giving any lapdances, so he played it safe and said,

"Truth."

Why not? He had nothing to hide.

"Alrighty then. So Bruce, what's the naughtiest thing you've ever done?"

Except that. Bruce's cheeks flushed. It was true, Bruce was not much more than a shy bookworm who miraculously had a girlfriend. One would expect him to not have any naughty stories, but he did. Oh he did, and it was embarrassing. He took a deep breath and stared down at the carpet.

"One time when I was twelve or thirteen, Betty and I went out on a lunch date. She wanted to try this new Mexican place. My stomach can't handle that kind of stuff but I can't say no. Not to Betty. So, we had lunch there and went our separate ways. During my walk home, my stomach starts bubbling, and I feel my intestines moving. I know I'm not going to make it home in time, so I uh,... I hopped a fence and took a crap in some random neighbor's backyard bushes."

"Oh dear god!" Steve exclaimed, holding his stomach and turning pink in the face.

Tony, Rhodey, Clint, and Pepper were cackling hysterically. Natasha pursed her lips tightly and looked at the wall. Sharon had her hand over her mouth, still reeling in from the shock of the story. Bruce expected to feel embarrassed, but instead he was laughing along with them. He felt so bad about what happened that day that he never even told Betty about it. He had pushed it to the back of his mind and did his best to forget about it. It felt good to get it out now, among this group of people he wasn't expecting to like this much.

"Oh Bruce, that's rich! That is rich! Thank you for sharing." said Tony when the laughter died down.

Bruce licked his upper lip. At last, it was his turn.

"Here we go. Last challenge of the game. Tony,-"

"I ain't scurred! Gimme a dare, Brucie Boy!" the black haired teen interjected.

Bruce shrugged. He had a good one.

"Okay. Tony, I dare you to...I dare you to kiss whoever you think is the sexiest person in the room."

"Oh, this oughta be good for a laugh. How is Tony supposed to kiss himself?" asked Sharon.

Tony, ignoring her, arched an eyebrow at Bruce.

"What if that person is taken?" he asked.

"I said kiss, Tony. You don't have to make out with them. Seems harmless enough if you ask me." Bruce replied.

The others nodded in agreement, and Tony shrugged. The birthday boy crawled forward on all fours, stalking like a panther. He glanced left and right, contemplating on who to go to. Tony slowly crawled to Thor's lap. The Asgardian's eyes grew wide as Tony leaned forward, his lips nearly touching his. Then, Thor frowned when Tony grinned and shook his head no. From Thor he went to Steve. Tony's mouth almost made contact and Sharon was eying him closely, grabbing on her stockings tightly. Tony shook his head no. Steve let out the breath he was holding as he backed up. He did the same routine with Sharon and Pepper, and Bruce wondered just what the hell was he doing. Tony then crawled over to Bruce's spot in the circle. 

~Oh god, he's coming over to me!~ Bruce thought, and he held his breath as Tony's face was inches from his. 

He could smell the deodorant and aftershave on Tony he was so close. He felt a tickle as the tip of Tony's gelled black hair skimmed the side of Bruce's neck. 

~Holy god! This is uber weird! Betty if it's me then please forgive me! Please! Oh god! What did I start? Oh god!~ 

Tony raised his head to his cheek, and Bruce squeezed his eyes shut.

"It's okay, Bruce. It's not you." Tony whispered gently into his ear, and when Tony backed up from him Bruce snapped his eyes open.

Wow. It wasn't me. I'm relieved and yet I'm,... kind of offended? Tony slinked over to Natasha, who sat perfectly still. His lips came close to her cheek, and he brought the tip of his forehead down, touching hers. Tony slid his head down, lightly rubbing the tips of their noses together. He leaned forward, his lips barely a centimeter from Natasha's blood red ones. Tony smiled, and looked to her right. Natasha gasped as suddenly, Tony snapped away from her and crashed his lips against Clint's instead. Tony pressed forward into the kiss and gripped Clint's shoulder. Clint grabbed the back of Tony's head, kissing back hard for half a second before the millionaire pulled back. Clint sat there in shock, not daring a move a muscle with mile wide eyes at Tony, who was staring back with a confident grin.

"Well, that answers that question." he said.

Nobody knew what to say. Nobody could say anything. Natasha was glaring at Tony, but more out of confusion than anger like usual. Clint wiped his mouth with his sleeve, stood up from his position and stomped out of the living room. Going to the balcony outside, he slammed the door behind him, causing Bruce and the others to jump. Tony, who looked confused and a little hurt, stood up from his position on the floor as well. Natasha rose and met him eye to eye, her confused glare turning to anger.

"Tony, what the fuck was that?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"I...I was just-"

Natasha growled at Tony, and he backed up slowly from her. His face frozen in fear. Natasha opened the door to the balcony and joined Clint outside, abandoning the scene behind her.

 

A/N: Updating soon. Any favorite moments from the game?


	6. Chapter 6: Dinner

Clint stormed out of the living room. He didn't know what just happened or why but he had to get out of there and quick. He slammed the sliding door behind him as he stepped out onto the balcony. He kicked the closest lawn chair over on its side and went to the edge of the balcony, tightly gripping the smooth concrete ledge until his knuckles hurt. The breezy cool night air helped him relax, but he found it hard to shake off his feelings of anger and confusion. 

~Who the fuck does he think he is kissing me like that?! It was clearly Natasha he'd been drooling over all night. It was Natasha he should have kissed. He's just doing this to fuck with me. Why would he think I'm the sexiest person in the room? Is Tony Stark gay? Am I gay? Why do I care? I don't care! I don't!~

Clint slammed his fist on the ledge. He hated being confused. He should've just kept his distance like usual and not even joined the game. 

~But it was fun. This whole night has been fun. And that kiss was,- ~

Clint slapped his temple, stopping that last thought before it could go any further. He spun around on his heel and saw Natasha approaching him. She looked just as upset as he was but her face softened when she saw his.

"Clint, are you alright?" she asked, gently grabbing his wrist.

"Natasha, you're smart. You tell me how I am." he replied, sounding much more snappy than he wanted to.

But Natasha knew him far too well. She wasn't affected by his attitude. She rarely was.

"I'm not sure what Tony's angle is or what kind of game he's playing, but I know why you're upset." she said.

"Oh, please do tell." Clint snarked.

Natasha slowly leaned forward, her emerald peepers level with his steely-blues.

"You're not the only one with good eyes. I saw you, Clint. You kissed back."

Clint subconsciously stroked at his lips. The taste of Tony was still there. Pineapple chapstick. Buttercream frosting. A hint of beer. He wiped his hand over his face and groaned.

"Shit, you're right." he said softly.

She was absolutely right. Clint was having more fun with Tony tonight than he expected. Like, at all. He let down his guard, and now Tony got to him.

"What's up with me, Nat?" he asked, his head facing down.

Natasha lifted his chin with her finger, her face neutral as their eyes met again.

"I don't know Clint. That's something you're going to have to figure out yourself. For now I just have one question for you, and don't you lie to me."

Clint stroked her hair and softly kissed her forehead.

"I never have, and I never will." he said.

"You and I both have had a fun night. You haven't let yourself go like this in a long time. So tell me, do you want to leave?"

Clint closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. He held onto her shoulders and let his forehead fall against hers. Natasha waited patiently until he finally exhaled, still feeling confused but a lot less tense.

"No." he whispered.

Natasha stroked his ears and gave him a tender ten second kiss on his lips.

"It'll be okay, Clint." she said, smiling affectionately.

"Only if you stay with me."

Natasha playfully punched his bicep.

"Where else would I go, you dummy?"

He hoped nowhere. Clint grabbed Natasha's hand and stared at her for a while before they went inside.

**************************************************************  
Thor was puzzled. Though Clint was hesitant at his suggestion to play Truth or Dare, the interesting teen was all in as soon as the game started. He was definitely into the kiss when it got to that part of the game. Bruce said making out wasn't necessary, but Tony leaned into it and Clint grabbed Tony's hair and momentarily kissed back. 

~Surprising but I could see it. Friend Tony was being exceptionally flirtatious tonight. Especially with Clint,~ now that Thor really thought about it.

Back in Asgardia, male on male relationships weren't uncommon and for the most part not frowned upon. He'd known for a fact that Tony sometimes had...relations with guys as well as girls. Clint kissed back, so why did he look like a deer in headlights before he stormed off outside? That was what was confusing Thor. Tony was into it. Clint was into it, so why was he mad? Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff were definitely a mystery. When Natasha went out to the balcony to check on Clint, the air in the living room was thick with awkward silence. Tony was rubbing his hand behind his head, still trying to recover from Clint's abandon Natasha's death glare. Bruce, Pepper, Rhodey, and Sharon were glancing at any and everything but their host. Thor hated awkward silences. Too much happened for someone not to talk.

"Is uh, is there something stronger than Bud Light to drink?" he asked hesitantly.

Steve shot up from the floor and gave a frustrated look at Tony who was heading to the kitchenette.

"Oh that was really nice, Tony." he grated.

Tony opened the cabinet and pulled out the vodka he made Steve drink earlier.

"You're gonna have to be more specific than that, I'm afraid." Tony replied as he poured himself a glass.

"Just what the hell was that? Playing us all! Was Clint your real target or did you just feel like messing with him?" asked Steve, his face stern as he put his hands on his hips.

Tony put on a fake hysterical laugh as he filled his glass to the rim.

"Why does it matter to you? What's wrong, huh? Mad it wasn't you? Gimme a break."

Tony rolled his eyes and took a strong sip of his drink before pouring Thor a glass, too.

"That's not the issue and you know it." Steve replied, trying to keep his composure.

Thor walked past Steve and joined Tony by the corner.

"Were we not just having a grand time? I fail to see the problem here. " he said, nodding thankfully when Tony handed him a glass.

Tony snorted.

"You're not the only one, big guy." he said, taking another big gulp.

Steve lowered his eyebrows.

"You can't be serious."

"On that note, I'm gonna go now." said Pepper, who quickly stood up and grabbed her shoes.

"Now wait, Pep. Just because I kinda fucked up here doesn't mean you have to go ya know." said Tony.

Pepper shook her head, the corners of her mouth tight.

"No no no, it's okay. I stayed here longer than I should've. I got a lot of work to do anyway."

"I'll go with you. This is all a bit much for me." said Rhodey, gathering his cap and shoes as well.

Thor felt his eyes sadden at the sight of them leaving. What was happening? They were all friends here!

"Are you sure, friends?" he asked.

"Pep. Rhodey. Come on." said Tony, walking up to them.

Pepper help up her hand and looked away from him.

"Happy birthday, Tony." she said flatly, turning on her heels and taking the door to the stairs.

"I'll uh, I'll see you on Monday. Happy eighteenth, Tony." said Rhodey.

He was more warm, but he also made it clear he wanted to leave. Rhodey followed Pepper out, waving to everybody else as the doors closed behind him. Tony swore under his breath and took three more gulps, finishing his glass and immediately pouring more. Steve walked up behind him, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Tony. It's just you know,-"

Tony held up his hand.

"I know. You hate conflict in times of celebration."

Steve nodded then looked at Tony's bottle. Thor finished his glass quickly and did the same. Tony turned around and looked at them, then at Bruce and Sharon who were still sitting quietly in the living room.

"You guys gonna leave, too?" he asked, bitterness dropping off of him like sweat.

Thor shook his head.

"Nay, my friend." he said.

"Me either, Tony." said Steve, smiling softly at him.

"I go where Stevie goes." Sharon added sweetly.

"So things got awkward. Big whoop. I'm just shocked it took this long for something like that to happen." Bruce joked.

"Ha! Good one, Brucie Boy!" Tony called out.

"Ahem!" came a voice, and all heads turned to the arcadia door.

Natasha and Clint were standing there. Their arms crossed. Faces unreadable. This bothered Thor. Like uncomfortable silences and horror movies, Thor disliked not being able to read people.

"I trust everything is okay, new friends?" he asked.

The two of them kept standing there, not saying anything. Tony stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak, but a held up finger from Natasha stopped him in his tracks. Thor arched an eyebrow. The only person he knew that had the power to make Tony shut up left with Rhodey just a minute ago.

"Tony, if it's okay with you we'd like to stay." said Natasha.

Clint scratched behind his earlobe and added,

"Yeah man. Look, no apologies. No explanations. No more surprise kisses. That okay with you, birthday boy?"

Tony smiled widely and raised his glass.

" Seriously?! You two are the most interesting people here. If you'd have left he would be bummed. Lets not disappoint him, shall we?"

Bruce, Clint, and Steve frowned at Tony.

"Who?" Bruce asked.

"Duh! Me!" Tony shouted.

Steve, Sharon, Bruce, and Clint rolled their eyes and groaned. Not Thor, though. He found the way Tony spoke in third-person from time to time most amusing. He bounded over to Clint and Natasha and threw his arms around their shoulders.

"Most excellent, new friends!" he shouted, not noticing when Clint flinched under his arm.

Steve, happy the awkwardness was cleared, clapped his hands together and smiled as well.

"Good. So, what do you guys wanna do now?"

As if right on cue, Thor's stomach rumbled loudly, sounding like a lion's growl.

"Holy shit, Thor." Clint said.

"I am quite famished. Might I suggest we get some food?" Thor asked.

"Yeah now that you mention, I'm hungry, too." said Bruce.

"Yeah I'm with the rest of you on that. That finger food was good and all but, wow." said Steve grabbing his stomach.

"I wouldn't mind going out some place." said Sharon.

"Me either, but you guys realize it's midnight by now, right?" Natasha pointed out.

"You know, there's a twenty-four hour diner a couple blocks from here. My treat."Tony offered.

"Sounds good to me. Let's go." said Bruce.

Tony turned around and fumbled on his way to the cabinet, clearly tipsy from his beer and glass of vodka.

"Shall we call Happy, friend Tony?" asked Thor, trying not to giggle at his fault.

Tony nodded as he struggled to stand up straight.

"Uhhh, yeah. That'd be good." he answered.

**************************************************************  
Steve and his friends all sat in a circle around the cluster of tables brought together for their party of seven. Just for fun to see the reactions of the staff, they decided to go fully decked out in their costumes. They were not disappointed. Steve took another big bite of his perfectly crispy chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes. Next to him Sharon was eating a creamy Alfredo sauce pasta with cheesy bread. Natasha, with her right leg resting on Clint's lap, was enjoying a simple tomato soup with crackers while her partner was content with chicken strips and fries. Bruce had a large stuffed roasted turkey club with sun chips. Thor and Tony were shamelessly munching on their racks of barbecue ribs with steak fries. Steve's stomach still hadn't fully recovered from his shot during the game of Truth or Dare, so he made sure to take his time eating his steak. Steve looked up at Clint, who had started telling a story while the others watched and ate. An itch was bothering Steve in the back of his mind. Tony's kiss thing wasn't over with. He could tell. Tony had went a full day without drinking. And on his birthday which Steve was secretly proud of him for. He and Steve and the rest of them had a darn good time without the aid of drugs and alcohol, something Tony occasionally took part in. Yes he'd drank half a bottle of Bud Light during Truth or Dare, but compared to Tony's normal habits that was nothing. It wasn't until Tony kissed Clint and Clint stomped away afterward that Tony grabbed the liquor. Steve noticed how upset he was as he harshly drank the vodka. Tony usually had a cranberry juice as a chaser or started off with something light like wine before drinking like that which left Steve was concerned. Concerned for both him and Clint which was why he almost went off the way he did. Then Steve saw Tony's reaction when Pepper and Rhodey left. The playboy could joke and bask in his own glory all he wanted but he was still human. There was more he wanted to say, but he didn't want to add to Tony's emotional stress. Clint and Natasha came back in the house and were nonchalant about the thing, but Steve knew this wasn't over.

"Was Clint your real target or did you just feel like messing with him?"

Tony never did answer that question. Knowing there wasn't much more he could do about it, Steve dropped the issue for now and let himself get immersed in Clint's story.

"Alright, so this one night while Nat and I were taking a walk, we decide to go to a random part of town we've never been in for no reason. We'd taken some shots earlier so admittedly, we're a little fucked up."

"Cheers to that." Tony interjected.

Clint, Thor, Natasha, and Tony clinked their glasses together before Clint continued.

"We're sauced up. We're loosey goosey and feeling like doing something dumb. Random cars fly by, and I bend over every now and then to pull down my jeans and flash my ass."

Bruce paused in the middle of a bite of his club.

"Really?!" he asked, incredulous and mouth full.

"Darn skippy." said Natasha, winking at him.

"So anyway, like I said, I'm flashing my ass. Most of the cars that pass me by are giving middle fingers or shouting at me. Some give me honks of approval. Nat, why don't you go ahead and tell this next part."

Steve was felt halfway guilty for being so interested. Boy, his mom would not approve of Clint. She was hardly okay with the fact that he hung out with Tony who was a certified wildcard. He wished Clint would stop with the foul language already, but then he remembered what he himself said earlier after he took the Dare shot. 

~Eh that doesn't count. At least, it shouldn't count. Aw man, I think it counts.~ 

Natasha slurped a spoonful of soup before she continued for Clint.

"Like Clint said, he's flashing his ass. We're boozing, having some laughs. Well, that gets boring after five minutes and god dammit if Clint doesn't start messing around."

"Messing around how?" asked Sharon.

"Well, he decides he wants to start doing his gymnastic tricks on the sidewalk. Drunk as a sailor, he's doing sloppy cartwheels, knocking things out of people's hands and almost getting into a few fights because of that."

"And what did you do?" asked Thor with a mouthful of cow.

Natasha crossed her arms and smirked.

"Didn't you hear Clint? We were both a little fucked up. He's cartwheeling and stumbling and spouting nonsense at strangers, and I'm just yucking it up. Of course, the dummy to my right here decides he wants to take stuff further. He jumps and does a badly executed backflip in the middle of the damn street. Mid-flip he moves his wrist wrong and falls on his ass. He gets up, but there's a van coming full speed down the road. Dummy doesn't seem to notice the horn blaring as it's coming up on him, so I snap sober and run out there. I shove him out of the way in time but now the van is seconds away from hitting me."

Steve's eyes go wide.

"Oh my gosh. So what happened?" he asked.

Clint snorted.

"'What happened'? To who, Nat the fucking spider here? Nothing! The van is seconds away from hitting her, and she hops on the hood, clinging to it like a fucking spider! The van skids to a halt, and some old lady opens her door. The old bat is shouting every swear word imaginable at us as Natasha grabs my wrist and we run away."

Steve, Sharon, Thor, Bruce and Tony set down their eating utensils and clapped, applauding the story. Steve laughed internally. 

~Oh yeah, Mom would certainly not approve.~ 

Tony stood up from his seat, facing everyone as he raised his glass.

"Like I said earlier, you two are the most interesting people here. Too bad Rhodey and Pepper weren't here to enjoy that story but hey, their loss, right? This been a fantastic fucking birthday! Cheers!"

Tony did it again. His vibe flowed right into Steve like rainwater to a stormdrain. Completely ignoring the swearing, Steve was the first to stand and clink glasses with his friend. The other five followed suit in seconds, and the sound of their "Happy birthday!" cheer and clinking glasses rang throughout the diner. Then they all sat down and resumed their dinner, having fun chatter which thankfully didn't have any swearing. Well at least not much. By the time they finished eating, Steve and the others were stuffed and lethargic. It was well past midnight, and the day's activities were finally catching up to them. They had to drag themselves out of their chairs and outside to the parking lot. Their bill had only added up to around forty-five dollars, but Steve saw that Tony left two hundred dollar bills on the table. Their servers were going to be very happy tonight. Steve winked at Tony as Happy pulled into the parking lot in a shiny black stretch hummer. Tony liked to hide it but Steve knew how generous he could be. The seven of them sat in comfortable silence the entire car ride home.

**************************************************************  
Natasha couldn't remember the last time she felt so content. Despite the bump in the road with Truth or Dare (she knew that situation was a can of worms to be opened for another time), she and her partner were perfectly happy. She had no idea why Pepper and Rhodey left, but she didn't really care. The rest of the night went on without a hitch. They ate dinner and shared stories and laughed. It made her feel good knowing that Tony, the biggest showman at school who loved flaunting his money, found misfits like her and Clint to be the most interesting members of the company. She still didn't see any of them as friends yet. It was too early to tell, but she could let her guard down some. At least halfway when they were chatting and all the way when they were dancing. Even during their drunk nights around town, she and Clint hardly ever went dancing just for fun. The ride back to Tony's was quiet, which was what Natasha liked the most. Sure loud music and laughing like madmen was fun, but she was in her element in the quiet. Back on Tony's floor, Natasha and Sharon went to the bathroom to change back into their regular clothes. 

~Finally this dress is pushing my boobs up to my ears and I'm going to kill somebody if I have to take another step in these damn heels.~

Natasha was back in her red shirt and black skirt. Sharon was in an oversized gray t-shirt, blue short-shorts and long pink polkadot socks with the movable toes. Natasha smiled at them. I oughta get me a pair of those.

"So Natasha," said Sharon when they were dressed and fixing their hair in the mirror, "Is it okay of I ask you something?"

"Go ahead." said Natasha.

"I can kind of understand why Clint was mad at the whole Tony kiss thing but, why were you?"

Natasha sighed and faced her.

"Clint and I,...we're connected. We think the same on virtually every level. The two of us are so in tune it's almost like magic. I've rarely seen get Clint shaken up like that, so when he stormed off, I knew it must've been for a good reason. Ergo, he's mad, I'm mad."

Sharon smiled softly at her as she placed her blond locks in a top bun. Natasha could swear she looked a little sad.

"I can't say I've experienced anything like you have. I know how you feel about the question so I'm not gonna ask but, whatever this thing with you and Clint is, it's special. I can only hope for something like that some day."

Natasha smiled back and nodded. Nothing more needed to be said about that. She and Sharon emerged from the bathroom. Clint, Steve, Bruce and Thor back in their earlier outfits as well minus their jackets and socks. Tony, dressed in red satin pajamas and a silky golden robe, was passing out covers to them.

"We're spending the night." Clint said when Natasha came up to him.

For reasons unknown, after her small chat with Sharon, Natasha felt the need for Clint's mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in to a deep liplock. Clint responded immediately, kissing her back and angling his head. Natasha sighed into their embrace. She loved kissing this guy. They kissed like that for half a minute before breaking apart, realizing they were still in the presence of other people. Tony wasn't in the living room anymore. Sharon, Steve, Thor, and Bruce were looking at them with raised eyebrows.

"Forgive me for asking but uh,...does this answer a certain question?" asked Bruce, pulling out the leg-rest of the Lazy Boy chair he settled into.

Clint grinned and shook his head.

"No not really." he replied, handing a quilt to Natasha.

Thor shook his head, frustrated with all of the confusion.

"I do not understand." he grumbled, his long form taking up an entire couch.

"In simplest terms, Natasha and I are unclassified." said Clint.

Natasha nodded. Clint was right. They were unclassified. The thing they had, the pair they were, had no label. Not to them anyway. Steve cuddled with Sharon under a cover on the floor, adjusting the thick pillows beneath their heads.

"You two are mystery." Steve mumbled, already half asleep as he wrapped his arm around Sharon.

Thor threw his silver and red cover over his head, cocooning himself in it on the couch.

"Indeed! Good evening, comrades!"

Even muffled through a thick piece of cotton, Thor's loud voice made Clint flinch. Natasha and Bruce giggled. He had to be hating that. Natasha grabbed the purple and black quilt and took a spot on the end of the velvety loveseat. She sat upright and pulled out the leg-rest, letting her feet kick up comfortably. Clint, with his bare feet hanging over the arm of the seat, crawled onto the empty space of the loveseat and rested his head on her lap. Natasha scowled at him. Clint was a drooler when he slept, but his puppy dog eyes were irresistible so she let his head stay there. She could get a change of clothes tomorrow. They were in the house of a millionaire after all. Tony was bound to have something for her. She swung the quilt around them, positioning it so that it covered most of her legs and Clint's upper body from the neck down. With closed eyes Clint reached up and pulled her into another long, tender kiss. His lips tasted like salty fries and ranch dipping sauce, but she didn't mind. These lips were hers. Not Tony's. 

~Whoa, where's this coming from?~ she asked herself. 

Clint was not her boyfriend. She was not his girlfriend. They were unclassified. Still,... 

Tony's hand clap sounded from his bedroom, and the lights clicked off. Natasha let her head fall back as Clint began snoring almost instantly. 

~Sleep, my hawk. Sleep.~


	7. Chapter 7: Breakfast

Tony hadn't been this bothered in a long time. Lying in his massive bed and staring up at the ceiling in the dark with his hand in his pants, Tony's mind was just filled with nothing but Clint. 

~God dammit all!~ he thought. 

He already knew his party would've been a night to remember, but he was ecstatic when he found out Clint was coming along. Yes, Clint Barton was the one he'd been crushing on for some time now. He wasn't lying when he said he and Natasha were the most interesting people in the group. During their previous years at school, Tony never had a class with Clint. He'd seen him around here and there. Walking through the hallways. Speeding out of the parking lot in his car with loud rock music playing. In the corner of the lunch room with Natasha. Tony found him attractive of course, but most of the time he never gave the boy a second thought. There was some gossip about Clint now and then, which Tony took little interest in. He was impressed with the fights he saw him get in, though. Freshman year in the cafeteria. Sophomore year in the boys' bathroom and the parking lot. Junior year at the track field behind the school. Tony had witnessed most of them, and he had to admit he found Clint intimidating. He was hot sure, but he was also sour and cold. He was distant and smart mouthed on a good day, scowly and hot tempered on a bad day. Especially when it came to Natasha. Word was that all of those fights Clint got in involved someone disrespecting her in some shape or form. After tonight, Tony didn't doubt that one bit. This year, Tony and Clint were finally in a class together. Mr. Rand's English. It was there when he started getting a better look at Clint.

The bad boy he was, Clint always sat in the back of the class. Arms crossed, shoulders tensed. And his eyes. His gray-blue eyes, always looking so focused and intense,...Tony had never seen such eyes. Whenever Mr. Rand asked Clint to read a passage from a book they were reading or ask him a random question about the lecture that day, Clint would say "Pass" or stay silent. No matter how much he was chastised by Mr. Rand, Clint's mouth stayed shut. Tony admired the guy for that. Tony's self control when it came to his mouth was...lacking. Clint looked like he had a lot to say, but he never spoke a word. Not even in his eyes, which were supposed to be 'the windows to the soul' or whatever. And it wasn't just Clint's self control he admired him for. If it was true that Clint got into all of his fights in Natasha's honor, then that meant was chivalrous. The chivalry with Steve and Thor were more than obvious with the type of people they were, but with Clint it was different. It was, unexpected in a way. Sexy. Hell, pretty much everything about Clint was sexy. From his mysterious silence, to his mesmerizing storm cloud eyes, his intensity, the way he fought. Even how he rocked purple (seriously, almost every day with that damn color). The fact that he was incredibly handsome was only a bonus. What Tony said to Coulson earlier was a fact. He wasn't a pursuer. If he wanted somebody, that person was either interested in him or not. Not this time, though. He wanted Clint. To solve the mystery that was him. To get to know him. Spend time with him. To kiss him. Again. 

~Oh god, that kiss! Boy did I fuck up with that one.~ he thought to himself.

It was so strange. He hadn't planned that at all. Tony's talk with Phil motivated him to try and find a way to approach Clint. But even with his big brain he couldn't figure out how to do that. Clint and Natasha had always been an exclusive party of two. The best he could hope for at the moment was hope Clint showed up to his party, which he knew probably wouldn't happen. Then, what do you know? Tony show's up at Steve's to pick him and Thor up, and there's Clint fucking Barton with them. Looking hot in his surfer boy get up. Natasha was with him, looking just as tasty in her Jessica Rabbit costume. Tony didn't want to show how happy he was his crush showed up and joined his VIP crew for the party, so Tony acted as normal as he could. Normal for him of course because come on, he's Tony fucking Stark. He knew it was a lost cause asking any of them to dance on the pole, but he figured it would be good for a few laughs to see their reactions. What do you know, Clint did, and he was fucking great! You couldn't get Tony to look away if you wanted to. It was such a turn on seeing how flexible Clint was that it wasn't even funny. It wasn't helping that as the night went on, Clint's personality was coming out. He was sarcastic. Foul mouthed. Blunt. And funny!

He enjoyed it while he could as the party went along. As the night began to wind down, Tony grew sad somewhat. He was having a marvelous time, and he got to dance with Clint for hours. He was expecting him and the equally impressive dancer Natasha to leave with everyone else. He felt like some boy-crazy schoolgirl when the pair said the would stay for the after-party. Tony's man-crush only furthered during their game of Truth or Dare. It was like he and Clint were in sync the entire time. As funny as it was, the Thor lapdance thing turned out to be a problem. When Thor hopped on him, pressing his chest against him and whipping his hair. All Tony could see was Clint. Clint straddling him, his hard chest against him. Whipping his head back and forth as Tony slid his hands around Clint's waist and up his back. The taste of Clint when he would lick his neck and suck before tongue kissing him like a madman. He had to cut it off before Thor felt Tony's impending boner. 

The rest of Truth or Dare was fun, but Tony felt he hit the jackpot at the end. When Bruce dared him to kiss the sexiest person in the room. He wasn't planning that at all, but he knew exactly who the fuck he was going to kiss. Tony being Tony, he wanted to mess with everyone first. Natasha, his last tease, was actually pretty damn difficult. If he wasn't so set on making Clint his, he would've went for Natasha in a heartbeat. She smelled like vanilla body lotion and grapefruit scented hair conditioner, and Tony actually almost kissed her. Then he remembered his original mission when he glanced to her right. Clint was right there. Those gray-blue eyes right on him, waiting in anticipation for something to happen. Then Clint gave his lower lip a random lick and Tony couldn't help himself. No more teasing. He snatched the opportunity and kissed Clint at last. Holy shit, his lips were amazing! He tasted like cake and sweat and grape flavored chewing gum. Tony couldn't control himself and ended up receiving the surprise of a lifetime when he felt Clint's rough hand grab the back of his hair. He pressed back! Tony had accomplished his mission, but at what cost? Clint stared at him like he was some kind of alien and angrily took off to the balcony without a word. He couldn't believe this. He couldn't fucking believe this! Clint kissed him back! That wasn't apart of the dare! He didn't have to do that, but he did! Clint liked Tony back! Yet he had the balls to walk out on him like that?! In his own fucking house?! The bastard said he wanted to stay, but only if they completely ignored what happened between them. Tony wanted to be furious at Clint's denial, but he was just so happy Clint decided to stay that he went along with it. 

~Okay, Barton, have it your way. We'll ignore it. For now.~

So now there he was. It was the middle of the night and he was restless. And frustrated and mad and hurt and HORNY! Christ, he couldn't remember the last time he wanted somebody like this. He needed to find a way to solve this problem and soon, because he realized something; it WAS his fault. Tony liked to play games and mess with people. Maybe if he would've made his intentions clear in the very beginning, Clint would...would,...fuck, he didn't know. In the meantime, he reached his hand in his pants, past his boxers and grabbed himself. He was rock hard just thinking about Clint. Clint's rugged torso. Clint's sexy dance moves. Clint's mouth. Oh god that fucking mouth! Tony closed his eyes and arched back as he slowly stroked himself. Looking for some sort of temporary relief, Tony replayed their kiss over and over again in his mind. His hand was nothing compared to Clint's soft buttery lips, but it would have to do for now.

**************************************************************  
Clint's eyes slowly opened. His sharp senses scanned the living room in the dim morning light. Steve and Sharon spooning on the floor. Bruce with his chin on his chest and hands under his thighs.

~What the hell? Banner is a weird sleeper, isn't he?~

Thor on the couch, one leg hanging off the edge, the other sprawled over the top with his right arm covering his face. He felt something firm and warm on the top of his hair. He looked up and saw Natasha. Her head was set back against the loveseat, her legs crossed on the leg-rest, and a hand on his head. Clint chuckled softly. Sometimes when Clint would fall asleep before her, she would stroke his hair until she fell asleep herself. The light coming from outside was little. Everyone else was still snoring loudly, deep in sleep. Clint very gently lifted Natasha's hand off of his head and slowly slid off of the love seat. He looked at the time on his cellphone. It was barely a quarter to five in the morning. Despite what his attitude might say otherwise, Clint was actually a morning person, so this was a normal wake-up time for him. Not that he didn't enjoy sleep. He didn't need that many hours. The bed in Tony's room looked extremely comfy, so he figured the millionaire would be asleep under those silky sheets until noon. Clint made a puzzled expression as he walked towards the door to the balcony. That's right, he slept in the house of a millionaire last night. A millionaire who he had- SLAP! Clint hit himself in the temple before opening the door. No way was his mind going there right now.

~Not now, not ever!~

He knew exactly what to do at that moment. His morning routine.

While he was sure Steve and Thor did morning runs or something like that, Clint had something much more relaxing and impressive in mind. He took a quick morning piss, used Tony's mouthwash, then went back to the Arcadia door. He stepped outside, and the smooth stone surface felt great to his bare feet. The air felt warm and the breeze was light. He looked at the ledge of the balcony. It was at least two feet thick. That would give Clint plenty of room. He climbed up on the ledge, standing up straight and looking out. Taking a deep breath through his nose, Clint lifted his arms above his head. He closed his eyes. 

~Focus, Barton. Focus.~ 

He let out a long breath as he bent over backwards, feeling his spine give a satisfying pop as he bent all the way. He was folded in half, the tips of his fingers brushing the back of his heels. Eyes still closed, Clint smiled to himself. Most of the time he found so wound up and tight. Always tense, always on guard. Doing his stretching, his muscles were leaking stress right out of his body, making him feel much more at ease. He leaned back a little further, pressing his palms firmly on the ledge, his body resembling an arch. 

~Focus, Barton. Focus.~

Clint lifted his legs up, bringing them together and facing straight out in the air over the pavement three stories below. Now his body resembled some sort of 90 degree angle. His breathing remained calm, his body only trembling the slightest bit. Clint breathed in through his nose again. 

~Focus, Barton. Focus.~ 

With his toes pointed out, Clint very slowly rose his legs. Balancing himself like a pro, Clint executed a perfect handstand. His body straight like an upside down arrow. Clint kept his eyes closed. With another breath, he locked his body in its position and cleared his mind. There was nothing else happening. There was no Tony's mansion. No cars or houses or trees or people. Not even Natasha. There was only Clint, his position, and this ledge. That is, it was for about fifteen minutes. The smell of cologne and pineapple hit his nose.

~Pineapple. Just like the chapstick Tony was wearing last night when he- wait a minute, Tony?~

Clint's eyes snapped open. He saw Tony jump when he did so.

"Tony?" he asked quietly.

The black haired teen was standing there in his red satin pajamas holding a pineapple smoothie in his hand. Still upside down in a handstand, Clint rolled his eyes. Great. His concentration was broken.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, his arms trembling somewhat.

Tony took a sip of his smoothie.

"You mean besides the fact that this is my house? I've actually been here for the past few minutes staring at you do your thing. Quite frankly Clint, you're pretty fucking amazing." he said.

Clint sighted as he let himself fall backwards, landing gracefully back on the ground. He stood up and rolled around his neck.

"Thanks I guess. What time is it by the way?" he asked.

"Almost seven-thirty. Say, everyone else is still sleep. If you want you could help me with breakfast."

Clint crossed his arms and looked at Tony. He didn't look like he was joking. Weird.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Tony was a millionaire. Didn't he have his butlers serve him breakfast in bed or something like that?

Tony laughed softly as he took another sip of his smoothie.

"Come on, Clyde. I'll show you." Tony replied.

Clint shrugged and followed him inside. A chorus of snores greeted them as they walked past their sleeping comrades. Thor the loudest of course. Clint took a peek at Natasha as he and Tony walked to the elevator door. She looked so peaceful when she slept it made Clint smile. He knew she must've been begging for rest after wearing those heels all night long. The elevator ride down to the first floor was weird. This was the first time he was alone with Tony. He was staring straight ahead, sipping his smoothie and rocking back and forth on his heels. Clint eyed him closely. What's on his mind I wonder? When the doors opened back on the ground floor, Clint's stomach growled fiercely, earning a laugh from Tony as they walked through the living room.

"Sounds like somebody's hungry." he teased.

When they walked into the enormous kitchen, Clint's eyes lit up at what he saw. The marble counters were lined with boxes of pancake batter, packages of sausage patties and cartons upon cartons of eggs. There were also peppers, ham slices, and a few rolls of English muffins. The pans were already set on the twelve-eye stove and a big yellow mixing bowl sat in the middle of the kitchen's island. Clint frowned at Tony.

"So this is what you meant? You actually want to cook?" he asked.

Tony playfully slapped his shoulder.

"I know. Shocking, isn't it? I may be beyond spoiled rotten but I can actually do a lot of shit for myself."

Clint scoffed.

"We'll see. C'mon, lets get started."

*****************************************************

Clint couldn't believe it. He was having fun again with Tony. By himself without his partner. Just like last night on the dance floor. Tony cooked the eggs. Clint baked the sausage. All the while, they joked and laughed and had interesting conversation. They even had an impromptu salsa dance at some point. When Clint went to go check on the sausage, Tony poured honey and cinnamon into the batter and brought it to the skillets. Clint opened the door to the fridge and pulled out a pineapple smoothie for himself. He took a sip and his eyes grew wide.

"Holy shit this is good!" he exclaimed.

"I know, right? I got those specially ordered from a place out in Malibu." said Tony as he flipped the pancakes.

Clint downed in it minutes while Tony finished cooking. Not too long after, there were at least two dozen pancakes and sausage patties each set on large plates around the stove. There was a large tray of eggs Florentine Tony had made with the English muffins and peppers. Everything looked and smelled fantastic, and Clint was starting to get impatient with hunger. He brought the tray of eggs Florentine from the counter by the stove to the island counter.

"Mind if I try one of these before we start making plates?" he asked.

He felt Tony walk up behind him and pat his shoulder.

"Go ahead. You helped cook so you get first taste regardless. Let me know how I did." he said.

Clint quickly grabbed the first one he saw and shoved half of it in his mouth. Clint's shoulders slumped, sighing deeply at the taste.

"God damn, Tony."

Still right behind him, Tony chuckled.

"I'll take that as a sign of approval."

Clint shoved the rest of it in his mouth and nearly swallowed it whole.

"If by 'sign of approval' you mean me claiming the rest of these things then yes."

Tony started stroking Clint's shoulder with his finger.

"Well you know what they say; the quickest way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

Clint frowned and looked straight ahead.

~Wait a minute, then that meant,...Oh,...Oh...oh no.~

"What did you just say?" he asked quietly.

Clint spun around, and Tony was there. Staring at him strangely with his finger still on Clint's shoulder.

"Hey, you." said Tony with a grin, but it wasn't his shit eating grin Clint was used to seeing.

Tony leaned forward, placing his arms on the counter on either side of Clint. Clint tried to back away, but he was only met with the hard surface against his back as Tony brought their bodies close together. Very close.

"Tony, what are you doing?" Clint asked warily.

His shoulders were shaking and his heart was racing like a wild stallion. Tony's chocolate brown eyes were staring right into his, and Clint was starting to panic.

"You know Clint, you have been driving me fucking crazy." said Tony.

"What are you talking about?" asked Clint, trying to stall what he already knew was coming.

"You know goddamn well what I'm talking about." Tony replied seriously, cutting right through Clint's bull.

It kind of scared him. In the day and a half he'd been hanging out with Tony not once had he seen him serious at all.

"Let me put it to you like this, Clint; every time I saw you dance with Natasha all sexy like that, I wanted to be in her place. When she went to talk to you yesterday after you got pissy from my dare, I wanted to be in her place. When she kissed you last night in front of everybody, I wanted to be in her place."

Clint felt his breathing start hitching. No way this was happening. Last night was just a game. Tony didn't like him. Tony wasn't jealous of Natasha. Tony wasn't growing hard right now.

~Wait, what?!~

Clint looked down at their conjoined waistlines and saw that indeed, her was pitching a tent in his thin red satin. He gasped and looked straight up at the ceiling, gulping hard.

"That's right, Clint. You're making me hard." Tony whispered.

He grabbed the back of Clint's head and brought it down, forcing their eyes to make contact again. His lips were dangerously close to Clint's. He swallowed again.

"I thought we agreed no more surprise kisses." he said, trying as hard as he could not to keep his composure.

Tony brought his lips to Clint's ear.

"I'm not kissing you, am I?" he retorted, his warm breath in his ear causing Clint to shudder against him.

~Focus, Barton. Focus. Focus Barton, focus. Focus, Barton! Focus!~ran in his mind over and over again. 

He wasn't being turned on right now. He wasn't feeling the need to pull Tony closer. To do things with him. Tony brought their faces back together, their foreheads pressed against one another. Tony's hands slid up Clint's arms and Clint words got caught in hid throat.

"Clint, get ahold of these." said Tony.

"Get ahold of wha-?"

Clint was cut of when Tony grabbed his wrists and brought them to his ass. Clint grabbed a hold and squeezed his cheeks, the feel of them through his satin trousers effectively arousing. Clint whimpered against his will and bit down hard on his lip.

~Holy shit, Tony's got an amazing ass.~

Tony grinned at him.

"I see somebody likes that, don't they?" Tony asked, and Clint only groaned in response.

"Tony," he whispered, their lips almost touching.

He could feel an electric tingle between their mouths.

"Please, don't make me do this."

Tony bucked his hips forward. Clint gasped as he grabbed Tony's ass harder.

"I'm not making you do anything, Clint. You're a tough guy. Anytime you want you could just punch me and get out of here." said Tony as he licked Clint's earlobe.

Clint's sighed at the feeling, his jeans feeling very tight in a certain area.

"I'm not doing that because I've got self control, Tony. I don't wanna do this." said Clint, making a last attempt at stopping them before something else happened.

Tony nuzzled against Clint's cheek.

"The bulge in your pants didn't get that memo."

Clint squeezed his eyes shut as Tony bucked his hips forward again.

~God dammit, he's right.~

Clint was wooden. Tony was doing this to him.Oh, fuck it! Clint swore under his breath and decided to let it happen.

He hopped backwards on the counter and wrapped his legs around Tony. Tony grabbed Clint's ass as well, and the two of them were staring and gasping at each other as they rubbed their groins together. Tony got more aggressive, and the next thing Clint knew the millionaire was full on dry-humping him. Clint moaned at the feeling, burying his head in Tony's shoulder. It was so hot. The hottest thing Clint had done in a long time. The feeling of Tony's erection rubbing against his through the fabric of their pants was incredible. Clint moaned louder, causing to Tony pull him into another kiss. This time Clint didn't hold back. He used his tongue to open Tony's mouth and dove in right away. Tony laughed as their tongues wrestled each other. It felt white hot as Tony moaned back, his humping picking up speed. Clint wrapped his legs around Tony tighter. A familiar feeling was coiling in his cock. Clint continued to shove his tongue down Tony's throat, moaning louder as Tony tightly gripped his hips. Tony broke their kiss to catch his breath, his face screwed and contorted. Tony was close, and so was Clint. Clint let his head fall back as his orgasm came close to happening. Tony sped up, licking fiercely at Clint's neck and making short breaths. His sounds were so arousing. Clint was so close he felt like the tip of his cock was going to explode.

~So close,...so close!...Wait a second, this isn't supposed to be happening.~

Then, Clint got mad.

No! Not with Tony fucking Stark!

Clint let go of Tony's ass and roughly shoved him away. Tony looked at him, a mixture of anger, lust and hurt on his face. When Tony looked down at himself he noticed a large wet spot on the front of his pants.

"What the hell, Clint?!" he shouted.

Clint glared at him as he forcefully wiped his mouth and his neck with his arm.

"No, Tony!" he shouted back, hopping off the counter.

"I am NOT doing this! Not with you!"

Tony looked down at his wet spot and snorted.

"Looks like you already did, smart guy! Don't you dare stand there and tell me you weren't half a second behind with this!"

"Fuck you, Tony! I refuse to be another tally mark on your sex board! I will not be another number!"

Tony gritted his teeth together and raked his hands hard through his hair.

"Are you fucking kidding me?! Did you not hear a word I just said?! Are you brain dead, or can you not do this with me because I'm not Natasha?!"

Clint's eyes went red, and the next few seconds were nothing but a blur. The next thing he knew, the knuckles on his right hand felt sore and Tony was face down on the kitchen floor, crying out in pain. Well, at least he's breathing.Clint though He threw the tray of eggs Florentine against the wall as ran out of the kitchen and to the front door. It didn't matter that he was barefoot and all of the stuff he brought was still upstairs, or even that Natasha wasn't with him. He just couldn't stay there another minute. He needed to get out of there and fast.

~I knew this was a fucking mistake!!~

 

A/N: What are your thoughts on the situation?


	8. Chapter 8

Steve paused as he brushed his teeth. He turned around and looked back in the living room. Natasha was doing stretches sofa. Thor was rummaging through the fridge in the kitchen grabbing a carton of orange juice. Sharon and Bruce were still asleep. Clint wasn't there and neither was Tony. Steve quickly rinsed out his mouth and walked over to Natasha.

"Hey Natasha, do you know where Clint or Tony are?" he asked.

"I was half asleep at the time but I saw them heading downstairs a while ago." she said.

"That's where the big kitchen is. Maybe they went to make something to eat." said Steve.

"Let us go join them. I do hope there is breakfast prepared for us as well." Thor chimed in.

Natasha rolled her eyes.

"I doubt that."

Steve chuckled.

"I know what you must be thinking, Natasha, but believe me when I say Tony's not as selfish as he seems. I'm sure he has something for the rest of us." he said.

Natasha grinned sideways.

"That's not what I'm worried about. Dummy's appetite fluctuates. If today is one of his hungry days, there wont be anything left for the rest of us if Tony got us breakfast."

"Then let us be on our way!" Thor shouted.

Bruce and Sharon slowly opened their eyes and whined in their positions.

"Talk about an Asgardian wake up call." Bruce chided softly, reaching for his glasses.

"I apologize my friends, but it is time for breakfast." said Thor.

Bruce and Sharon hesitantly removed their covers. They stood up, yawning and stretching. Steve led his sleepy friends to the elevator and waved his hand in front of the monitor. The doors dinged open and they stepped inside. On the elevator ride down, Steve looked at Natasha. She was still quiet most of the time and it was strange seeing her without Clint around. Curious about her thoughts he asked her,

"So, what do you think?"

Natasha looked at him.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"About us. Think you might want to make our group here a regular thing? I'm curious." Steve answered.

"I wonder this as well." said Thor.

Natasha shrugged.

"Don't get me wrong, you're all enjoyable. Last night was cool, but only time will tell. And even then, Clint will probably have to be with me at all times."

"Understandable I suppose." said Steve.

He was so hoping that their time together last night would've made them friends, but he was happy she at least considered it. Steve agreed with Tony's comment about her and her partner. They were the most interesting members of the group. Definitely the most mysterious. As the elevator doors opened, Steve was hit with the smell of pancakes and other delicious things. His eyes fluttered as he stepped out first.

"Yup, I'm awake now." said Bruce who followed.

Steve smiled at them as he led them across the lounge.

"See?"

"GOD DAMMIT!" they heard Tony yell.

Steve's smile quickly faded. When he stepped into the kitchen he runny eggs against the wall. Tony was on the ground, gritting his teeth and rubbing hard at his forehead. Steve ran over to his friend and knelt down beside him. The big breakfast set upon the stove and counters were completely ignored.

"Oh my god! What the hell happened in here?" asked Sharon.

"Tony, are you okay?" asked Steve.

Tony slammed his fist on the floor.

"No! I'm not okay, Steve!" he shouted angrily.

Natasha crossed her arms and glared at Tony.

"What's going on? Where's Clint?" she asked.

"Oh, him? He stormed off again. This time giving me a knock to the fucking head." Tony replied, his anger making him immune to Natasha's eye daggers.

Natasha uncrossed her arms. Steve grew nervous when he saw her lips tighten and her fists clench.

"What the fuck did you do this time?" she asked quietly.

Tony laughed weakly as Steve helped him to his feet.

"Well, your boyfriend and I got a little hot and heavy with each other. He freaked out when he almost came in his pants, so he hit me and left."

"You did WHAT?!" Natasha shouted, and Steve wasn't quick enough to stop her.

She leaped forward, shoved Steve out of the way and backhanded Tony so hard his head whipped sideways. The CLAP sound echoed in the kitchen. She growled and almost struck again. Thor intervened, wrapping his massive arms around her from behind and dragging her backwards.

"OW! God dammit, why am I the one getting hit?!" Tony hollered.

"Because I know Clint! Whatever you two did, he didn't initiate it! He was already shaken up over what happened last night! What is wrong with you?!"

Tony wiped the side of his mouth before giving her a smug grin.

"Feeling threatened, are we?"

"Oh, you fucking prick!"

"At least call me something I've never heard before, Bonnie."

"Hey! That's enough! Both of you just STOP! Shut up!" Steve shouted.

Steve had an especially large pool of patience, but all of this had quickly drained it. Things had already gotten physical, and he knew if he didn't stop it now they would've kept arguing. Natasha's face was back to being neutral, but her breathing was hard and her fists were still tight. She gave Thor a sharp elbow to the ribs, making him let her go.

"I'll show myself out. If I see you come near Clint again with that kind of crap, I will fucking end you."

Natasha let that marinate with everyone as she calmly left the kitchen. Steve put on a brave face, but he was scared of her. He saw the way she looked when she said what that. She was completely serious.

"Guess this means party's over." said Tony, who covered his eyes with his hands.

"You got that right. I'm getting the hell out of here." Sharon replied harshly.

Steve looked at her shocked. Tony was hurt and in need. Why would she leave?

"Sharon?" he asked.

Sharon only shook her head sharply and exited the room. Thor had his arms crossed, his face upset.

"I do not understand what is going on, but I do not appreciate this. I will not depart just yet, but I am not pleased, Tony." he stated.

Bruce stayed silent, his head down as he followed Sharon out. Steve's heart broke at the sight. Things had gown down hill so fast it was mindboggling. Clint, Natasha, and Bruce leaving was understandable. Sad, but understandable. Sharon leaving? That just didn't make any sense. Tony was in pain. Thor was clearly agitated by it all. Tony moved his hands away from his eyes. He looked shocked to see Steve and Thor were still there. Steve looked Tony in the eyes and asked,

"Tony, what's going on with you?" he asked.

Tony closed his eyes and looked away with a gulp.

"I messed up, Steve." was all he said.

**************************************************************

Natasha finally caught up with Clint after she turned another corner and saw him crossing the street. Barefoot and all. 

~How dare he? He left me there with that mess!~ 

She ran up next to him, and she wanted to yell at him. Scream at him. Hit him in his jaw, but when she saw his face, she did none of those things. His face was blank as they kept walking. His eyes staring straight ahead and going nowhere. This worried Natasha. She knew he should be furious, but he was shutting out. He normally did this with other people or when he was doing his morning handstands. But not to her. Never to her. If he was feeling anything, he would tell her. Natasha wanted to say something, but she knew now wasn't the time.

They walked together in silence for over an hour all the way back to Clint's house. When they got there, they saw that his brother's car wasn't there. Typical. Barney was always out. 

~Boozin' and sleeping with hookers probably.~

Barney had been Clint's legal guardian ever since their parents died when they were young, but Natasha knew that Clint usually took care of himself. They entered the house and she kicked off her shoes. As soon as the door closed behind them, Natasha couldn't stand his silence any longer.

"Clint, talk to me."

That was an order, not a plea. She wasn't going to take this. Not from her partner.

"I slapped the taste out of Tony's mouth before I caught up with you, but I wanna hear your side of the story."

Clint dropped his head.

"Nat I uh,...I let Tony,..."

He opened his mouth to say more, but then he clammed up again. Natasha sighed deeply. She was a very patient girl, but Clint was starting to piss her off.

"We kissed again. He started it but,...this time I didn't fight back. We um, we made out. A lot. Then we were dry humping and I almost,..."

Natasha shook her head. She may have been out of line in hitting Tony, but Clint was lost. He wasn't sure how to feel, and Tony went ahead and initiated something else anyway. He didn't know Clint. He hasn't spent nearly enough time with him. He should've known better. Natasha chewed on her lip and thought for a moment. She knew what would help. 

~Time for a test.~

"Clint, come here."

Clint did as she requested. His eyes looked softly into hers. She stretched up on her toes locked lips with him. Normally when they kissed it was to calm each other down or assure them everything would be alright. Other times it would be just for the hell of it, but not today. This time Natasha added heat into it. The two of them may not have been a couple, but they knew how sexy they found each other. Clint wasted no time and kissed her back hard. Natasha giggled when Clint's tongue found hers as she let him taste her. Clint grabbed her waist and pressed their bodies together. She moaned in anticipation as she felt the growing erection in his jeans sliding against her stomach. She continued to heavily kiss him as her fingers found the button to his pants.

Thank god Clint always wore loose fitting jeans. She undid his button and zipper, his jeans falling around his ankles. His rock hard cock sprung from the slit in his boxers and she grabbed it in her hands. Clint broke their kiss and smiled as he licked his lips. Seeing him do that made Natasha wet in her panties. 

~We don't have sex nearly enough.~ 

The two of them lost their virginity to each other years ago and used each other for sexual release from time to time. They agreed not to make it a regular thing because then they would feel like "fuck buddies". 

~Still though, I almost wouldn't mind doing that.~ 

She stroked his cock from base to tip, up and down. Clint moaned softly. His lips made contact with hers again ashe slid his hands up her skirt. She shut her eyes and bit down on his lip when he used one hand to yank down her lacy red panties and the other to slide two of his fingers inside her. She shuddered as Clint curled his fingers and twisted.

"Oh god!" she cried out.

His hands were great, but she was aching for something more.

"Jesus, you are so ready, Nat." Clint whispered into her mouth.

Natasha shoved his fingers out of her and guided his cock into her slick cunt. They both moaned at the same time but also she winced somewhat. She had almost forgotten how big Clint was. She hiked up her skirt and led them backwards to the couch. Clint lifted her up, wrapped her legs around him and let them plop onto the cushions with Natasha on her back. He gave one big thrust, making Natasha cried out again.

"Fuck! Clint!" she yelled.

Clint gave a grunt as he thrusted again, his dick now enveloping her. Her toes curled and her nails dug into the back of Clint's shirt. His thrusts were slow but hard and rough, each stroke making her breathless. They truly were partners in every sense of the word.

"Clint?" she asked with another gasp.

"Yeah?" he asked through his teeth.

"Who's fucking me right now?"

Clint gave another hard pump. She lifted her head, biting down on his shoulder.

"I. Am." he replied between growls.

"Who are you inside of right now-ah!"

Clint lifted her hips from below and buried himself even deeper inside of her.

"Nyugh! You."

Natasha's body was shaking as Clint sped up his humping. She couldn't keep her legs still. Clint was making her so wet and fucking her so good she struggled to keep up her test.

"Oh god! Who are you making writhe beneath you?"

"Holy shit! Agh! You, Nat! Always you!"

The tip of Clint's cock was tingling inside of her. He was almost there, but she was about to beat him to it.

"Jesus Christ! Who are you fucking right now?! Who's about to cum because of you?! Agh! Clint!"

Natasha couldn't take it anymore. With Clint still on top fucking her like a bunny rabbit, Natasha exploded. She coated his still thrusting, throbbing cock in her essence, almost going lightheaded from her climax. She also tore a hole in the cushion she was gripping.

"You, Nat!" Clint strained.

She could feel his own climax coming and she couldn't wait for it to fill her up.

"Clint,..." she asked breathlessly,

"Who do you want to be fucking right now?"

"T-"

Then Clint stopped. He stopped completely, motionless as he stared at her. His sex high was coming down fast, and Natasha almost cried when he withdrew from her. He sat up on the couch, his wet half erect cock slapping on the cushion beneath him. He covered his eyes with his hands and groaned with frustration. It was the second time Clint almost came today but didn't. Natasha sat up and closed her eyes. She enjoyed Clint fucking her like nothing else, but she had tested him for a reason and her guess was right. They were still partners but,...

"Clint," she said slowly,

"it's happened. It's finally happened."

Clint uncovered his eyes. He looked mad, but not at her.

"What's finally happened?" he asked.

Natasha wiped some sweat off of her forehead. She smiled at him. A knowing, sad smile.

"You've been compromised." she replied.

Clint clamped his eyes shut and gripped his hair with both hands.

"I can't do this, Nat. I can't get compromised. It's always been you." he said

Natasha scooped her legs under her and scooted closer to him. She kissed his cheek but his eyes remained closed.

"You'll always have me, Clint. We'll always be partners, but you can't keep doing this to yourself."

Clint shot up from the couch. He quickly pulled up his pants and stomped out of the living room with a very stern face.

"I'll live."


	9. Chapter 9: Sunday Pt1

"So yeah, after that things got too awkward for me. Tony had Happy give Sharon and I a ride back and, yeah. So now here I am." Bruce finished.

Betty sat in her bed with a cup of hot tea in her hands. Bruce had Happy drop him off at her place after he took Sharon home first. He felt a little guilty for leaving his new friends but there was only so much drama Bruce could take. He thought the problem was solved last night before they went out to dinner, but nope.

"Wow. Who would've thought. Tony Stark has a crush on the school criminal." she said, her voice a lot less croaky than yesterday.

Bruce shook his head.

"I don't think Clint's a criminal. He's,...I don't know. You gotta spend time with him to understand."

Betty chuckled but shook her head.

"I probably won't. Nothing against the guy but after the things you just told me,...I don't know, Bruce."

Bruce ran his hand through his hair.

"Trust me Betty, I understand. Hell I didn't even know he was coming. He and Natasha were a surprise. True they have some questionable behavior but, they're really not that bad."

Betty pursed her lips and slowly nodded her head.

"I see. So really everything just circles back to Tony."

Bruce shrugged.

"I don't know. I suppose. Natasha said Clint was so shaken up from the kiss so it was Tony's fault for driving him out."

Betty chuckled some as she sipped her tea.

"Boys are so stupid. The problem here is pretty basic."

Bruce arched a brow.

"What is it? Because all of this," he swirled his finger in the air, "is just looping me, I'm confused."

Betty drank some more tea and set it on her night stand.

"Of course there's a lot of context and variables involved, but it all boils down to this; Tony is a playboy who now has his eyes set on one person but went about it the wrong way. Clint is a bad boy who prefers to be closed off from most people. He likes Tony back but is confused about his feelings."

Bruce let his head down. How could he not have seen that the whole time after Truth or Dare?

"Wow. You're right. We are stupid." he said with a smile.

"Well, it's a good thing you're slightly smarter than the average boy."

Bruce chuckled, his eyebrow raised.

"Oh really?" he asked.

Betty nodded.

"Just going off of what you've been telling me, Brucie. Clint and Tony? Complicated. Clint and Natasha? Complicated. Tony and Pepper? Complicated. Steve and Sharon? Apparently trouble in paradise now."

Bruce leaned forward and kissed her nose.

"You know you're really cute when you know everything?"

Betty giggled.

"You realize that's all the time, right? I guess I'm a regular supermodel."

"Yes. You are."

Betty leaned her head on Bruce's shoulder and chuckled softly.

"I take back what I said. All boys are stupid except you."

Bruce scoffed as he wrapped an arm around her back.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I probably should've stayed here with you last night."

Betty raised her head and looked at his solemn face. She lightly hit his chest.

"Hey. Bruce, don't make me rethink my last statement. Ever since you came back here you've talked about nothing but how crazy last night was. The good and the bad. Didn't you have fun?"

Bruce smiled and nodded. It was true. He felt so happy he had so many interesting stories to share with her. Plus, he truly felt he had made some new friends. He was unsure about Clint, Natasha, Rhodey and Pepper, but he was hopeful that on Monday he would be sitting with the rest of them at lunch time. Especially Thor.

"Right again, Betty Boo." he said.

Betty closed her eyes and laid back on her pillow.

"I'm tired again. I'm just gonna rest for a while." she said, already half asleep.

Bruce sat on the edge of her bed, holding her hand as she nodded off.

"I'll be here when you wake up." he whispered.

Bruce was left alone with his thoughts as Betty dozed. It was early Saturday. He was sure he wouldn't be seeing any of his new friends today or tomorrow. He wondered how things would be on Monday. Would Clint work things out? Was Thor upset at him for leaving when he was the one who invited Bruce in the first place? Would Tony be alright? Would any of them want to talk to him again? Bruce sighed. He secretly hoped so.

**************************************************************  
The next day,...

 

"Seriously? This song again?" Jane groaned.

Thor chuckled, his arm around Jane's shoulder. It was Sunday afternoon, and he was hanging out with Jane while she watched her neighbor's daughter, Darcy. The scrawny darkhaired little girl was in the kitchen, dancing wildly to "Promise Ring" by Tiffany Evans while sweeping. Darcy paused her dancing, looking at Jane with raised eyebrows.

"Hey! If you want me to clean, I have to do it to my music." she said.

Jane put her hand on her head.

"But does it have to be the same song six times in a row? It's from 2007 for crying out loud."

Darcy put her hand on her hip, sliding her glasses down her nose and smirking at Jane.

"Hey, either I play the music I wanna hear or I tell my mom you and beefcake over there were making out the entire time instead of watching me."

Thor frowned at the girl.

"I have done nothing of the sort, young one!"

Jane rolled her eyes.

"Ugh! Fine, whatever."

Darcy whipped her hair and started the song over just to bug Jane. Thor laughed. Darcy was very sharp for a ten year old. Doing her best to tune out the song, Jane turned to Thor.

"So, how's Tony holding up after yesterday?"

Thor scratched his head. To say things got weird yesterday would be an understatement.

"I believe he is doing okay. I can only hope he will not resort to drinking his heart out."

Jane nodded but said no more on the subject. Thor looked back to Darcy. He wanted to laugh at her. Her gangly limbs were flailing all over the place. 

~Maybe Clint and Natasha could help show her some moves.~ 

Thor's eyebrows lowered. Clint and Natasha. He didn't know whether to be mad at those two. Both of them had struck his friend and that angered him. Both of them had good reasons why however; Tony's mouth. It was his greatest weapon and his Achilles' heel. In the case of the past few days it was the latter. Thor felt torn. Tony was his friend and he was hoping Clint and Natasha would be, too. He wanted everyone to be happy. Why couldn't they just all be happy? Jane looked at him when she heard his stomach growl.

"Hey Thor, I know you're hungry. Why don't you go out for a while and eat something. I can handle Darcy."

Thor looked down at her.

"Are you certain, Jane? What about you and the little one?"

Jane shook her head.

"Darcy had lunch before you came over and I'm not hungry."

Jane gave Thor a quick kiss.

"Trust me. Besides, she hasn't stopped sneaking glances since you got here. She's got chores to do and homework to finish."

Thor nodded and kissed her again.

"If you say so. I shall see you later then, lady Jane?"

Jane blushed and pushed her hair behind her ears. Thor smiled at her. He knew she found it charming when he referred to her as lady Jane.

"Oh yeah. The second her parents come home I am outta here." she replied.

"I heard that, Jane! Don't act like you don't love being my sitter!" Darcy shouted from the kitchen.

Jane gently nudged Thor as he stood up from the couch.

"You see what I have to deal with. Go ahead, 'beefcake'." she teased.

Thor smiled and bowed to her.

"I'm off! Jane. Darcy. Farewell for now."

"Byyyyyyye." said Darcy with a wink.

Thor only laughed again as he made his exit. Children always made him smile and Darcy was a special girl. As he got into the car and drove down the street he realized something; he was enjoying his time with Darcy and Jane so much that he didn't want to eat alone. He rarely turned down the chance to have company. Asgardians were very social people and his father was busy today. He took out his Stark-Phone and looked at his contacts.

He thought about asking Bruce to join him, but he was unsure about what his reaction would be. After he left without a word during yesterday's fiasco, Thor didn't think Bruce would want to talk to him. After all, he invited him to that party. He thought about Clint and Natasha maybe, but he didn't even know their numbers. Tony probably wanted to be left alone right now. That left Rhodey, Pepper, or Steve as the most likely. He dialed Steve's number first. The phone rang six times before he picked up.

"Hello?" he heard Steve ask, his voice low.

"It is I, Thor, friend Steve."

There was a pause on the other end and a sigh.

"Hi, Thor. What's going on?" Steve asked.

"I am headed off to lunch. Would you care to join me?" Thor asked hopefully.

Steve sighed again. Thor could swear he sounded distraught.

"Have I done something wrong? Am I bothering you, friend Steve?" asked Thor.

"No. Oh god, no. It's just,... you know if you want you can come over. My mom made pizza bagels and uh, I could use some company."

Thor nodded knowingly to no one. Steve sounded distressed so he would oblige his request.

"As could I, dear friend. I shall be there soon."

"Okay."

Thor made a turn around. Steve didn't live that far from him. Thor was oddly happy since he would be getting food and helping out a friend at the same time. That was, if Steve needed help. He hoped he was alright.

He arrived at Steve's house fifteen minutes later. Steve opened his door when Thor parked on the curb in front of the house. It was the afternoon but Steve was dressed in a rumpled t-shirt and baggy blue sweat pants. He looked as though he'd just gotten out of bed. Thor got out of his car and walked up to the front door, pulling Steve into a tight hug.

"Good afternoon, my friend." Thor greeted.

Steve smiled at him with tired eyes, not saying anything as he motioned for Thor to come in. Sarah Rogers waved at Thor from the living-room. She was talking on the phone and dusting the table. Thor bowed to her and followed Steve to the kitchen. Indeed, Sarah had made two big pans of delicious smelling pizza bagels. Steve took a seat at the table, looking down at the back of his hands while Thor took off his long red coat and hung it over a seat.

"These look and smell marvelous." said Thor, mouth watering as he made his way over to the trays.

"Mmhmm." was all Steve said.

Thor grabbed ten of the bagels and put them on a plate. He sat down opposite of Steve at the table and ate three of them right away.

"Poptarts remain my favorite American snack, but these are most delicious." he said after he swallowed.

Steve smiled at him, but Thor noticed his eyes. They looked dimmer. Less welcoming like normal. The blue in them faded somewhat.

Thor ate two more pizza bagels and put a hand on Steve's wrist.

"What is wrong, friend Steve?" he asked quietly.

Their eyes locked, and Steve exhaled deeply. He knew something had to be up.

"Might as well cut to the chase. Last night, Sharon broke up with me."

"WHAT?!" Thor yelled, and Steve flinched at his volume.

"I apologize, friend Steve. But why? There is no man more gracious than you."

Steve chuckled, flattered at Thor's compliment.

"She said our entire relationship, she felt like she was just going along for the ride. That we don't share any true connection."

Steve scratched behind his ear.

"Guess I should've seen this coming. I feel so stupid for not noticing before."

Thor put his hand on Steve's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze.

"Listen to my words, Steve; I mean no ill will towards Sharon, but she made a big mistake in ending your relationship. You are too much of a good man to think it's your fault."

Steve pursed his lips and looked down at the table.

"Maybe that's the issue here, Thor. Maybe I'm too good. Too much of a boyscout. Sharon was actually mad at me for staying behind to help Tony instead of leaving with her. I thought we could handle each other's differences."

A lump formed in Steve's throat as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I guess not."

Thor scooted his chair closer to Steve's. He grabbed the young man and pulled him into another tight hug. Thor didn't know what to say to that. He had only ever been in a relationship with Jane, and so far things were great with them. He may not have been able to relate to Steve's problem, but dammit if he wouldn't do his best to make him feel better. Steve hugged him back, sighing against Thor's ham shaped biceps through his gray t-shirt. They stayed there like that for two or three minutes before Steve gently pulled them apart. A few tears had streaked down Steve's face, but he looked a little better.

"You know what's kind of funny, though? I think she might've wanted whatever Clint and Natasha have."

Thor arched an eyebrow at Steve.

"Perhaps seeing how they interact impaired her judgment. I still do not understand what those two are to each other."

Steve let out a weak chuckle, wiping his tear away with his arm.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't think anybody is supposed to fully understand what they are. Not even them. Anyway, I don't think her judgment was impaired. She just got a better idea of what she wanted. What she wanted to feel, and it wasn't with me."

Thor nodded. He still didn't fully understand, but he understood enough.

"Who else knows of your break-up?" he asked.

"Just you for now. Do you uh, think you could just hang out with me today?" Steve asked, his voice cracking.

He almost sounded like a sad child. Thor's heart was hurting for him.

"I mean, Sam's out of town and Bucky,...Bucky's just not talking to me that much anymore." Steve squeezed his eyes closed, fighting off more tears.

Thor thew his arm around Steve's shoulder and gave him a friendly shake.

"The fact that you believe you have even have to ask that is almost offensive. Just as with Tony, I shall stay with you until you feel better."

Steve wiped his eyes. He took a deep breath and managed a smile. One not so sad.

"Thank you, Thor." he said.

Thor went back to his chair and began chewing on another pizza bagel.

"Now, I suggest you partake in eating these with me. Otherwise I shall consume them all."

Steve laughed and Thor smiled. he was still hurt but Thor could tell he was making a significant difference. Steve grabbed a bagel off of Thor's plate.

"No you won't. You know my mom and her stance on greed. She would kill you if you did."

Thor nodded and chuckled warmly.

"Indeed she would."


	10. Chapter 10: Sunday Pt2

Tony was unsure how to feel. He was pissed at Clint and Natasha for hitting him, but deep down he knew he deserved it. He just wished Clint would've hit him before their frotting instead of after. Tony had no idea why he was losing all of his self-control with Clint. He had been flirting with him non-stop since the boy came on his bus, and cooking breakfast with him was fun. He didn't remember the last time he had that much fun doing something so simple. What made him lose control that morning was seeing Clint in this new light. He was just so loose! They were there alone in the kitchen, just being carefree and making breakfast for their friends. Clint danced with him. Laughed with him. Showed him how to properly mix eggs. It was freeing. He wasn't so wound up and steely eyed, and it just drove Tony crazy.

He knew Clint liked him back. There was no way around it. Tony knew all Clint needed was the right push, so he tested him. He flirted with Clint, cornered him against the counter and brought their bodies together. If Clint really didn't like Tony back, he would've socked him in the jaw the second he started stroking his shoulder. But nope. Clint was just nervous. Tony kept riling him up with sexy talk, and Clint was fighting to give in. He had to admit the boy had some damn good restraint, but when he pointed out Clint's erection, it was over with. And it was the hottest thing he'd ever done. He'd had full intercourse with pornstars before, and yet dryhumping Clint in the kitchen with their clothes on was the sexiest thing he'd done so far. When they kissed, Tony forgot how to breathe. 

Tony lost himself, and he ended up cumming in his pants from the friction alone. Clint was two seconds behind him with that. Tony almost got hard again just watching his face as he came close. Then Clint snapped. He yelled at him and punched him in the forehead before leaving. Tony was just so confused. It was infuriating and arousing all at once, and he hated that he was the one blamed. Natasha was just jealous. She hit him out of jealousy. Tony was a danger to their relationship, so she smacked him and threatened him. He wasn't the one to blame, right? His feelings were only hurt more when Sharon and Bruce left. Sharon was supposed to be a sweetheart, and he really liked Bruce. Yet there they were, walking out on him. Just like Clint. Natasha. Rhodey. Pepper. Steve and Thor stayed there doing their best to comfort him, but it did little to ease his mind. Poor Thor was just so lost by the situation, and Steve tried to solve the problem like usual. Steve may have been a goodie two-shoes pain in the ass most of the time, but Tony had to admire the guy's character. When Steve asked him what was wrong, all Tony could say was "I messed up, Steve."

Steve and Thor helped Tony clean up mess Clint made then they ate the breakfast, not wanting it to go to waste. Tony was worried about leftovers since he prepared it for seven people, but Thor's appetite thankfully took care of that problem. Then they went back to Tony's floor and watched some movies. All of the Three Kicks To The Head movies. Steve was insisting on Tony refraining from drinking at least for the rest of the day, so he compensated with big dumb action movies. Tony was tempted to give Steve the finger and down a bottle of whiskey out of spite, but he knew Steve was just trying to be a friend. 

~Damn him and that Texas sized heart of his.~

Hours passed and Tony was feeling a little better. Still, he couldn't fully invest himself in the movies and he had no other plans for his guests. In the evening, he insisted on them both going home. Steve was hesitant, but Tony promised him he wouldn't have a drink until tomorrow. It was barely night time, but Tony couldn't think of anything else to do. He took some of his dad's sleeping pills with another pineapple smoothie and dropped like a rock in his bed.

 

In his dream, Tony relived his party. From the moment he picked up his friends at Steve's house, to dancing for hours, to the game of Truth or Dare. Clint was there during all those times. Clint pole dancing on the bus. Clint grinding on the dance floor. Clint laughing like a hyena during Truth or Dare. Clint kissing him. 

~Clint this! Clint that! Fuck, when is this gonna stop?!~ 

Tony awoke with a start the next day. He was gripping his sheets and pitching a tent in his boxers. 

~Great. Just freaking great.~

He thought as he got out of bed. He didn't know what time it was but the sun was shining bright in his room. It had to be late morning at least, which meant Tony slept for over ten hours. 

~Holy shit. No wonder Howard takes those damn pills.~

Still aching hard and needing some kind of relief, Tony went to the bathroom. He hopped in the shower and took care of this problem the only way he knew how. With the steaming hot water running over his body, Tony cupped his balls with his left hand. His shaft with his right. He jerked himself hard, fantasizing about all the things he wanted to do with Clint. If they just made out and dryhumped again that would've have been fantastic, but of course Tony wanted to go further. To be naked with Clint. Taste every inch of his skin. Find out which spots on his body drove him crazy. To be inside of Clint. Have Clint inside of him. To claim him. To make him his. To call out his name when he-

"Oh shit!" Tony cried.

He came fast and hard, squirting streams of cum against the tile wall.

Tony leaned back against the wall and laughed lightly to himself. Cumming always felt amazing, but he knew it was probably not best to do it to the guy he probably couldn't have. Hell, he got punched by that guy. 

~But it's not fair! I may have started it but he participated. He was into it!~

"Ugh! Fuck this. Steve's not here anymore and I need a fucking drink." he said to himself.

He cleaned himself up and left the shower ten minutes later. His father was still across the country and his house cleaners always had Sundays off. Tony grinned. 

~Fuck clothes. Nobody's here.~

Still wet and in his birthday suit, Tony looked at the time on the stove clock in the kitchen. It was a little past noon. He took the elevator down to the ground floor and went out to his backyard.

His backyard was surprisingly tame for a Stark home. There wasn't much back there other than a fifty foot long pool, a small jacuzzi, and a stocked mini bar by the back porch. Tony poured himself a glass of Crown Royal and sat in the jacuzzi. The hot bubbles felt great on his naked body. He took a few strong sips of the drink, loving the familiar burn in his throat when he swallowed it. He let his head fall back, soaking in the warmth of the sun. A good half an hour and two glasses of brown liquor later, he was feeling miles better. He stepped out of the hot water and went back upstairs.

Back on his floor, Tony got dressed in only a simple gold silk bathrobe. He still didn't feel like wearing clothes just yet. He sat back into his Lazy Boy chair and let out the leg-rest. He snapped his fingers and silky blues music began to play softly on the speakers. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling relaxed. Sometimes doing nothing just felt great. Suddenly the elevators dinged open so Tony opened one of his eyes. Pepper was there, dressed in a simple knee length white dress. He closed his eye and sighed. He didn't know how to feel about her presence at the moment.

"What's up, Pepper?" he asked, tapping his feet to the song.

Pepper came closer, standing next to him by the chair.

"Tony, I wanted to come by and talk." she said.

Tony opened both of his eyes this time. He was expecting her to chew him out so he sat up a little.

"'Bout what?" he asked, although he already had a pretty good idea.

He snapped his fingers and the music ceased. Pepper stroked at the ponytail hanging over her shoulder.

"About Friday night. I uh, I wanted to apologize for leaving like that. I also wanted to explain why I did."

Tony sat up in the chair and looked at her.

"Alright, you've got my attention." he said.

Pepper blew a raspberry and looked to the side.

"Tony I was upset with you because I felt like you were toying with me. We may not be a thing anymore, but I still love you. Maybe not in that way but,...you know."

Tony's face grew serious. No time for jokes like usual.

"I do, Pep. Believe me, I do."

Pepper looked at him. She looked sad and happy at the same time.

"Tony, I know how you are, but I couldn't understand why during your dare you couldn't just be straight forward with it. I mean, you teased us. You teased me. A big part of me was flattered immensely when you crawled towards me. I thought you at least still found me attractive."

"I do find you-"

Pepper held up a finger and bit the inside of her cheek.

"Let me finish. You played your little game, then you kissed Clint. I saw the way you kissed him. You liked it. I mean, you really liked it. A small part of me deep inside was hoping you'd give us a second chance, but it's clear that you want to do that with somebody else instead. I was emotional and a little tipsy, and I knew that if I stayed I would've wanted to hit you."

Tony chortled, stroking lightly at his forehead and cheek.

"Join the club." he said with a sneer.

He knew he deserved it (mostly), but he was still bitter about it. Pepper's cheeks flushed. He could tell she was trying not to laugh.

"Yeah um, Sharon filled me in yesterday. It's another reason why I came by. Are you gonna be okay?"

Tony's mouth crooked to the side as he looked down at his toes. Man he needed a pedicure soon.

"Can't tell, Pepper. I honestly can't." he replied.

"I could stay if you like. You want some company?" she asked.

Actually he did, but he could detect the uncertainty in her voice. He ran his head through his hair, not wanting to make this any more awkward.

"No. I'll be alright. Some alone time will do me some good."

Pepper leaned down and kissed his forehead. He sighed. It felt nice. Familiar. She turned around and walked toward the elevator. The doors dinged open and Tony closed his eyes. Before she stepped inside, Pepper said,

"I'll see you later, Tony. Please, whatever you decide to do about this just...be careful. I bet you Clint is just as lost as you are."

When Pepper stepped inside and went down, Tony scoffed.

~Right. Because I'm always just soooo careful.~

 

A/N: After those last few chapters I felt like adding in some fluff. How do you feel about the relationships in this story?


	11. Sunday Pt 3

Thor was such an awesome friend. He didn't care that Steve was a guy who started crying because of a girl. Steve wore his heart on his sleeve and so did Thor. Sam and Bucky weren't there, and no way was he bearing his soul like that to Tony. After their tender moment in the kitchen, Steve felt so much better. He was still shaken up over Sharon dumping him, but he felt more at ease about it. He and Thor finished off the pizza bagels together. They hung out in his room for an hour or two, not doing much other than watching videos and making small talk. Some time later, Steve suddenly felt a little self-conscious about himself. It was way past the morning, and he was still in his frumpy pajamas from last night. Thor hung out on his bed while he went to take a long shower. He washed himself good, left alone with his thoughts.

Steve wasn't mad at Sharon. He couldn't be mad at her. She was gentle when she gave him her reasons, and even though it hurt, he understood. The way she left him when he wanted to care for Tony just showed how different they were anyway. Now that Steve thought about it, she really was just along for the ride during their relationship. Steve used to be a scrawny, sickly boy before his blessing of puberty kicked in. Sharon only showed interest in him after his muscle packed on. Steve was just so happy to get some female attention that it didn't even matter to him. She was the captain of the dance squad and super hot, so why not? This epiphany helped immensely, and Steve felt a big weight leave his chest. He stepped out of the shower a long while later, feeling clean both physically and emotionally. Now with a new surge of energy, Steve felt the need to get out of the house and do something. He got himself dressed in a blue t-shirt and jeans, a white zip-up hoodie and a red baseball cap. He came back to his room to find Thor reading some of Steve's old Superman comics. Thor, noticing his lighter mood, smiled at him.

"Are you feeling better, friend Steve?" he asked.

Steve smiled and sighed while he put on his socks.

"A lot, Thor. You uh, you wanna go out and do something?"

Thor set the comic down and jumped up from the bed.

"But of course! It pleases me to see you in good spirits once more!"

Steve grabbed a pair of blue tennis shoes.

"I'm still not completely over it, but I'm good enough. What do you feel like doing right now?"

Thor scratched at his stubble, thinking hard for a moment. Then he smiled hopefully at Steve.

"Three Kicks To The Head Part Four just came out. Can we go to the theater, my friend?"

Steve's smile spread. Of course. How could he have forgotten about the new entry in one of his favorite film series?

"Yeah. Come on. You drive."

Thor was practically running out of the house when he grabbed his coat. Steve said goodbye to his mom and the two of them hopped in Thor's car.

They made it to the theater at a good time. There were a lot of people in line to see the movie, but since it was the afternoon and a Sunday, things weren't too hectic. Thor offered to pay for the snacks while Steve bought the tickets. Thor's appetite never failed to make Steve laugh. Not too long ago, the two of them just ate two whole trays of pizza bagels. Steve was perfectly fine with a small bag of plain popcorn and a medium drink. The Asgardian ordered himself a large bucket of popcorn with extra butter, two boxes of chocolate covered peanuts, a jumbo drink, and a small pocket pie.

"Jeez. You sure you don't want more, Thor?" Steve joked as they stepped away from the counter.

Thor looked down at his bundle of snacks.

"You think this will not suffice?" he asked.

Steve covered his mouth, trying to stop himself from laughing.

"Oh my god, you're serious."

Steve chuckled all the way to the room where the movie was playing. Thor's face was just priceless.  
********

Four hours later, they both left the theater happy. The movie was just as over the top and dumb as the other TKH films but that's what they loved about them. Just for the hell of it, they snuck into another movie to pass the time. Some animated feature about a talking cat who ran away from home. Steve wasn't impressed but Thor found it cute. It was early evening by the time they went outside. Thor ate all of his food within the first twenty of TKH4, and of course he was hungry again by the time they made their exit. On their way to the car, Steve heard Thor's stomach and shook his head.

"You can't be serious." 

"It was a long movie and I did not eat much. Perhaps we could go somewhere for food?" asked Thor.

Steve rolled his eyes when Thor said he didn't eat much, but he quickly remembered his Asgardian background. They were 'feasts and ale' type people, so Steve decided to humor him.

"I'm not super starving but I could eat. What do you say we have a Fat Night?"

Thor arched an eyebrow as they got in the car.

"What is a 'Fat Night'?" he asked.

"We go to the store and just buy a crap ton of junk food then go back to my house and just pig out while watching TV. Sound good?"

Steve's fat nights were a rare occurrence. He was all about eating hearty and healthy so he hardly ever indulged in eating junk foods. His fat nights only happened once or twice a year, but he figured today was as good a time as any. What with his recent break-up and Tony's drama. Thor beamed at him, obviously thrilled with the idea.

"A most excellent plan, Steve! Let us go!"

Thor tested the speed limit, driving quickly to a convenience store near Steve's house. With it being Sunday evening, there weren't too many people in there. The minute the two of them walked in the doors, Thor took off to find an aisle that had Poptarts. Steve laughed quietly at him while grabbing a shopping basket. Being friends with Thor was quite an experience. Steve went to the refrigerated section scanning the drinks. He put a few Gatorades in his basket. Then he looked to his left and saw a familiar figure eyeing the soda selections wearing a purple wife-beater and baggy gray sweats.

"Clint?" Steve asked, cautious in case it wasn't him.

Clint's eyes turned and looked at him. Steve frowned. Clint's eyes were partially red and his hair looked ruffled. Clint smiled widely at Steve which was almost disturbing to see considering how stoic he usually was.

"Steve? Heyyyyy, you." he said excitedly.

Steve sighed, irritated. Clint wasn't talking like his normal self and his eyes were glazed. He'd hung out with Tony enough to know he was either high or drunk. Steve approached him slowly.

"Clint, are you okay?" he asked.

Clint giggled, grabbing a bag of chips off the shelf behind him.

"I...I am fucking great, Steve." he replied.

Steve looked around. His partner wasn't there.

"Clint, where's Natasha?"

Clint licked his lips and looked down at the floor.

"You know we're not always with each other, right? She does go home, ya know. She had some farmly business to attend to and-"

"Don't you mean 'family'?"

"Don't you ever fuckin' interrupt me again, do you understand?" Clint ordered with a glare.

Steve jumped. He didn't mean to do that. He nodded and nervously put his arms up in surrender. He knew people on mind-altering substances were unpredictable. Clint's glare turned back into a goofy smile.

"Oh relax, Captain, I'm just fuckin' with ya. Anyway, she had to go home and I was bored as shit. I may have snuck into my brother's liquor cabinet and had over half a bottle of...shit what the fuck did I drink?"

Clint then seemed to stare at nothing, his mouth hanging open. Steve snapped his fingers in Clint's face, bringing him out of that.

"Clint are you here by yourself?"

Clint nodded with his eyes closed then slapped Steve's shoulder.

"Eh, Steve,...I miss Tony."

Steve raised an eyebrow. He thought Clint hated Tony for whatever happened yesterday, but apparently that wasn't the case. Steve shook his head. It was a shame some people had to not be sober to tell the truth.

"You do?"

Clint sloppily spun around and began walking the other way down the aisle. Steve followed him, putting his hand on Clint's shoulder from behind.

"Clint, you do?" Steve repeated.

Clint paused and nodded.

"Yes I fuckin' do. He's so much fun, ya know?"

Steve walked around Clint and faced him. His eyes were closed but he was still smiling.

"He's fun. He's funny. He's just...fuck, Steve, I'm sauced up. Don't tell him I said that, okay?" he said with a thick laugh.

Thor showed up behind Steve. His own basket was full of assorted chips and candies. He paused when he saw Clint.

"Are you alright?" he asked when he saw Clint's state.

"Thorrrrr! Jesus Christ, why are you so big, man?" asked Clint when he opened his eyes.

Thor frowned.

"Are you intoxicated?" he asked.

"Hell to the yeah."

Clint turned around, walking a different way. Amazingly for a teenager who just drank over half a bottle, he wasn't stumbling. Steve and Thor ran in front of him, blocking his way.

"Hey it's you two again! You know what, I had a great fucking time during the party. Shit, why are you two so damn big?"

"Clint, this behavior is unacceptable." Thor said sternly.

Clint giggled again, running a hand through his messy hair.

"Awww, you care about me? That's sweet. No seriously, you guys are just so sweet. I like you. You two, Bruce, Sharon, Sam, Rhodey, Pepper. I like you all. Especially Tony. I miss him. Don't tell Tony but I miss him. I... I wanna see him again."

Clint bit his lip.

"Mmmmm. He's a good kisser."

The two blonds looked at each other. Steve lowered his head and slowly shook it. Just like Tony yesterday. He may not have said it, but he could tell Tony was sad that Clint left. Even if he did hit him. Steve wasn't sure what to do, but he knew he couldn't leave Clint alone right now. Not drunk like this in public. Thor looked back at Clint and nodded.

"I had a feeling. Why must you be drunk to admit this?" he asked.

Clint lifted his hands and shrugged.

"I'm fucked up. In more ways than one. Hey, you guys wanna go start a fight?"

Steve tightly grabbed Clint's arm. That was enough. He remembered his story about the time he was cartwheeling and nearly got hit by a car. While it was a funny to hear, Steve wasn't looking to experience a Drunk Clint story first-hand.

"No, Clint. We're taking you home."

Clint wiggled his eyebrows, letting Steve take him outside while Thor purchased the food. Including the handful of snacks Clint had grabbed.

"Oooooh, what're we gonna do, Captain? Seriously, what's with all the red, white and blue you wear?"

Steve rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time he heard that question. He leaned Clint against the trunk of Thor's car while he opened the door to the backseat.

"Steve, you're like, so nice. And HOT."

Steve's eyes bulged and he paused for a second. 

~Well, this is news to me.~

"Yeah you heard me. Both you and Thor are just...sexy as FUCK!"

Clint put his hand on his chest, slowly sliding it down to his crotch. He grabbed himself through his sweatpants and bit down on his lip again.

"Tony is hotter, though. He almost made me cream myself yesterday, ya know. Mmm. I miss him."

Steve said nothing as he helped Clint in the car and strapped him in. He had absolutely no response to that. It was way more than he wanted to know. Plus seeing him like this was unnerving. This wasn't the typical Clint Barton. Steve felt bad knowing how Clint would feel about himself in the morning. Thor exited the store a minute later carrying four full bags of snacks. He set them in the back next to Clint before getting in the driver's seat.

"How is he?" Thor asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.

Steve put his hand on his head.

"Chatty."

"Where do you reside, Clint?" asked Thor.

Clint lolled his head back against the seat and swirled his finger in the air.

"Literally like, around the corner from here on 5th Avenue. One-story gray house with a big green door. You can't miss it"

Thor nodded, heading down that way.

Steve turned and looked at Clint, who was chuckling softly with his hands on his thighs.

"Hey, can I tell you guys something? I feel like I can talk to you, ya know?" he asked.

Steve was taken aback once more. Unless he was with Natasha, Clint just seemed so closed off from everyone. He had no idea Clint found him attractive and apparently a potential confidant. He felt a stab of guilt knowing it was wrong to ask him while he was drunk, but Steve was damn sure Clint wouldn't talk to him like this sober.

"Okay. What is it?" he asked, giving his best reassuring smile.

Clint smiled back.

"I won't tell you how Natasha and I met or what we are to each other, but I will confess how I know how to work the pole like that. Why I'm so bendable and shit."

Steve and Thor arched their eyebrows. Would this boy ever quit surprising them?

"Carry on." said Thor.

Clint licked his lower lip and put his hands behind his head.

"You tend to learn a few things when you grow up in the fuckin' circus."

Steve was speechless. 

~Circus? Circus?! Whoa. Just, whoa.~

"How exciting!" Thor yelled, and Clint flinched, grabbing his temples.

"Jeeeeeesus! Why are you always so goddamn loud?!" Clint shouted.

Steve saw Thor clamp his mouth shut and look down.

"I apologize. 'Tis something I cannot control at times."

Clint grinned and slapped at the air.

"Oh, it's alright you beefy fucker. Just remember I'm loosey goosey right now. Anyways, yes. I grew up with circus parents. I learned all types of acrobatic shit from the time I was able to walk. My father even showed us how to shoot a bow like him."

Clint scratched behind his ear and laughed.

"His stage name was Trickshot."

"Do uh, do they still perform?" asked Thor.

Clint's eyes closed and he laughed a dark laugh.

"Nope. They're kinda not around anymore if you get what I'm saying but like, that's a different thing." Clint gulped, "That's a different thing, know what I mean? And you know, right now I'm not tryin' to get dark and shit. So yeah, I fuckin' live with Barney."

"Who is Barney?" asked Steve.

That name wasn't familiar to him at all. He also wanted to ask Clint to tone down his language, but that would've been a waste of breath.

Clint scoffed, making Steve cringe at the smell of alcohol in his breath.

"My shithead of an older brother. There he is right now."

Steve turned back around in his seat. They were pulling upon the house Clint described. Standing in the doorway was a man who looked a lot like Clint but in his late twenties or early thirties in a dusty brown jacket. Steve took a deep breath. Barney did not look happy.

"Hey Thor, you mind keeping the car running while I help him out?" Steve asked.

Thor nodded.

"Aye, my friend. Farewell, Clint."

"Your hair smells like ham."

Steve struggled not to laugh as he got out the car. He opened the back door, slung Clint's arm around his shoulder and pulled him out of the backseat. He saw Thor frowning and sniffing his hair as he walked with Clint up his driveway. Barney was there at the door, his eyes staring fiercely at Clint.

"He's drunk again, isn't he?" 

Steve nodded. Apparently this wasn't the first time Clint came home like this.

"Who are you anyway? This is the first time I've ever seen Clint with someone other than Natasha."

Steve smiled as best he could and stuck out his free hand.

"Steve. I'm uh, a new friend of Clint's."

When Barney looked skeptically at Steve, he brought his hand back down.

"Take it easy, Barney. He's just helping me home. By the way, you might wanna get a better lock for that special cabinet of yours." said Clint with a lopsided grin.

Barney curled his lips back, practically snarling at his brother.

"I uh, I should get going now." said Steve.

He let go of Clint and backed away slowly. Barney said nothing. He only grabbed Clint roughly by the back of his shirt and pushed him inside the house. Then Barney looked at Steve with a blank face before slamming the door. Steve quickly walked back to Thor's car, getting in with a worried expression.

"I take it his brother was none too pleased?" asked Thor as they drove away.

Steve shook his head. He saw Clint in a whole different light now and it was so confusing to him. He only hoped Clint would be alright.

"Lets uh, lets just get back to my house."


	12. Compromised

Bruce spent all of Saturday and Sunday with Betty. He made her tea, gave her sweet kisses, read her books, and indulged in more stories about his time at Tony's party. Betty found them entertaining, but she was still skeptical about spending time with them. She was pretty much back to normal by Sunday night. Her dad, old Thunderbolt Ross, wanted her to stay in bed an extra day just to make sure she got it all out of her system, but she insisted on going back to school. Bruce had to admire her for that. He only got sick once in a blue moon but when he did it sucked. Sunday night he went to bed feeling strangely excited. Tomorrow was Monday, and he hoped that at school he would get to hang out with at least one of his new friends. That is if they wanted to see him of course. He still felt guilty about leaving during the whole breakfast fiasco, but they could understand, right? 

~Although I do have Thor's number. I could've at least texted.~

Bruce smacked the back of his head against his pillow. Why didn't he think of that before? He shut off his light and went to sleep, feeling more stupid than he'd like to admit. He would just have to wait until tomorrow to see what happened.

 

Bruce woke up early the next morning, refreshed and ready to start another day. He always woke up an hour before he had to catch the bus, so he had plenty of time to kill after he brushed his teeth and washed his face. He got dressed in green t-shirt shirt with brown pants and watched television for a while. While dining on a bowl of Cheerios, Bruce chuckled when he saw a commercial promoting the theatrical release of Three Kicks To The Head Part 4. He remembered Steve and Thor talking about having a movie night for Part 3 sometime since it recently came out on video. He hadn't even seen the first movie, but they seemed adamant about it. Whether or not he hung out with them again, he made a mental note to check it out some time. Bruce finished his cereal, got his books ready, and when the time came, he gathered his things and left the house. His mother, a nurse who worked the late shift at the hospital, would just be coming home in half an hour. His father was still asleep and probably wouldn't be getting up until noon. Bruce felt sorry for the man. He was a construction worker and jobs hadn't been coming so easy as of late. 

Bruce walked outside and went around the corner to his bus stop. There was a small group of other students waiting there chatting among themselves about Tony's birthday party. What costumes they wore. How cool the glow-in-the-dark cake was. Kaylee Foxx singing "Happy Birthday". How awesome it was when Tony and his friends were dancing together in the center of the dance floor. Bruce hung back, smiling softly to himself but not saying anything. He was there. He was in that group in the middle of the dance floor with some of the coolest people he'd ever had the pleasure to meet. He was tempted to include himself in their conversation. To tell them that he was part of a fun after-party when the night was winding down and the rest of them left, but he didn't. Not out of shyness like he might've thought, but out of humbleness. 

~Let Tony have all the fun with the bragging.~

Bruce knew what happened. He experienced it, and he had a lot of fun. He didn't need to boast about it to strangers. The bus came, and Bruce took his normal spot near the front by himself. Betty lived closer to the school, so he wouldn't be sitting with her. In fact, he wouldn't be seeing her until the end of the day since she didn't share any classes with him. Not even lunch. He leaned his head against the window as the bus moved along. He was used to being by himself a lot. Betty had a different school schedule. His folks were always out or dead tired. Bruce never thought much of it before, but today it felt different.

Fifteen minutes later the bus pulled into the parking lot of the school. It was strange but his inner (okay outer) geek felt much more at east at school. He was in his element here. Especially in the science lab, where Professor Selvig showered him with praise on every single project. Bruce walked across the pavement and saw Clint's purple Saturn pulling up to park. He winced at the loud heavy metal blasting through its windows.The car parked near the bus, and out walked Clint and Natasha. Natasha was looking hot as always, dressed in a black leather jacket with a red undershirt, red short shorts and black biker boots.Clint was in a black t-shirt, a purple zip-up hoodie and purple shorts. His hood was up, obscuring his eyes. Bruce gulped. The last time he saw Natasha, she'd struck Tony and left to find Clint who'd apparently done the same. He was sure the'd calmed down since then but they were still kind of intimidating. Bruce smiled nervously as Clint and Natasha walked his way. Clint looked like he was mad at something, but Natasha was smiling softly when he came into their view.

"Hi." he greeted, embarrassed when he heard his voice crack a little.

~Jesus, Banner. You just danced and hung out with these two a few days ago. They're mad at somebody else, not you. Get a grip, man.~

"Yup." Clint replied gruffly, walking right past Bruce with his hands in his pockets.

Bruce looked at Natasha, who seemed more happy to see him.

"Don't mind him. He uh, he had a rough night."

Natasha put a hand on his shoulder.

"He actually likes you. We'll see you around."

She gave him a gentle pat and jogged to catch up with Clint. Bruce stood there for a moment, smiling to himself. He couldn't believe it. Clint and Natasha liked him. Bruce went to class with a skip in his step. Who says Mondays have to suck?  
*****

A few hours later, it was lunch time. The second the bell for the next period rang, Bruce knew he had to grab his books quickly. He always sat by himself during lunch, and tables filled up fast. He always had to hurry and claim a table for himself before the entire cafeteria filled up. He remembered one day when he didn't make it in time and he was forced to share a table with the Maximoff twins. What a weird day that was. Luckily today as normal he found a nice table all for himself. Eating alone on a daily basis never bothered Bruce that much. Unless he was hanging out with Betty, it was pretty normal for him. School. Home. Random walks around the park. Always by himself. Even outcasts like the Maximoffs at least always had each other. Bruce filled his tray, listening to the other kids in line continue to talk about Tony's party. He went back to his table and ate quietly. Bruce did his usual thing, keeping his head down, tuning out all the loud chatter until it just background noise. He ate his food slowly while he read one of his books. Not much time passed when at some point, a shadow formed over his book. Bruce looked up and couldn't help but smile like an idiot. Steve, Sam, and Thor with with their own trays.

"Nice to see you again, Bruce." said Steve with a smile.

"Why are you here by yourself, man? I can't believe I never noticed before." said Sam.

Bruce nervously licked his lips.

"I uh, don't really ever have anybody else to sit with." he admitted.

Thor stomped his foot loudly on the ground.

"This is unacceptable!" the Asgardian proclaimed, and he took a seat next to Bruce right away.

Steve and Sam sat together opposite him, and Bruce felt his heart swell.

"I um, I thought you guys would've been upset with me." he said.

Steve raised an eyebrow.

"Why? If anything we thought you would be upset with us."

"Steve is right, friend Bruce. I felt sorry for inviting you to a gathering that ended on a sour note." said Thor.

Sam scratched behind his head.

"Yeahhhh, they filled me in on what went down when I got back in town last night. I'm sorry I missed it. We saw you eating by yourself and came to see how you were doing."

Bruce cleared his throat, pushing his glasses up his nose. Nervously tapping his fingers on the table he said,

"I'm sorry for leaving like that by the way. It's just you know, with everything that happened I didn't think it was my place to stay there and-"

Thor held up a hand, stopping Bruce.

"Tis all water under the bridge as they say." he said with a friendly grin.

Bruce let out a sigh of relief. Wow. Who would've thought?

"Soooooo um, anything interesting happen after Sharon and I left?"

Steve, Sam, and Thor looked at each other and chuckled loudly. Apparently so.

**************************************************************

Natasha stood with her arms crossed as she leaned against the lockers. It was lunch time but she wasn't headed to the cafeteria just yet. Every day she would wait outside her partner's English class. The second the bell rang and his class was over, Clint would come out and they would go to lunch together. Today he came out, looking strained and frustrated. He saw her but said nothing and walked in a different direction from the cafeteria. She saw Clint go to the men's room down the hall instead. She felt so bad. The boy was still recovering from his drunken stupor last night, and Tony was in that class with him.

On Saturday after they had sex on the couch, Clint started acting more withdrawn than usual. He shot his bow out back for a few hours then took a really long shower. Natasha tried talking to him, but he never said more than a few words. As it turned out Steve's house was within walking distance and Clint remembered they had left his car there. After all, Tony picked them up in his ridiculous party-bus and they spent the night at the bastard's house. They didn't know if Steve was home or not that afternoon, but they quickly retrieved his car with no problems. Then they went to the store some time later. She tried lifting his spirits by getting him Three Kicks To The Head Part Three. It just came out on video recently and she knew he hadn't seen it yet. Clint was grateful that she bought it, and she saw him crack a smile when she purchased the Blu-Ray version. They went back to his place and watched it. They watched the movie and Clint started acting more like himself again. Natasha would never understand why boys were so into dumb stuff like that, but he was happy and that's all that mattered to her. That night while they slept together, Clint heldher tenderly while they slumbered. She was hoping he would finish his earlier act during her test, but he didn't seem up to it.

Sunday, they didn't do much more than watch TV together in comfortable quiet most of the day. Clint still wasn't saying much but he didn't seem so upset. That evening, she got a call from her foster mother saying she needed to come home. Natasha felt bad. She forgot to call and tell her that she was spending the night at Tony's on Friday and again at Clint's last night. When she told Clint she had to go, he looked devastated. She was tempted to ignore her foster parents and stay with her partner, but they had been good to her for a long time now. She kissed Clint goodbye and went home. When Clint picked her up in the morning her heart sank. Clint was mad again. No scratch that, he was heated. His eyes were partially red and he looked like he didn't get a lot of sleep. On the ride to school, Natasha asked him what was wrong. Clint's hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly which made her nervous. She knew he was hung over and more irritable than normal. He'd told her about last night. How pretty much right after she left he hit the bottle. Hard. He got himself nice and saucy and decided to do something stupid; he left the fucking house. Clint went to the corner store near his house, and he encountered Steve and Thor. He told her how stupid he was acting, flirting with Steve and telling them how he grew up in the circus. Natasha was happy Steve and Thor were gracious enough to take him home, but Clint was pissed. She tried to tell him that it could've gone worse. How they still hadn't discussed Clint becoming compromised. He grew quiet again and turned on his loud heavy-metal. Natasha grew frustrated herself. 

~That fucking dummy. He KNOWS that music won't help his head!~ 

Clint promised he wouldn't lie to her, and he wasn't, but she was still mad. He was wound up like she had never seen him before, and it all came back to Tony fucking Stark.

That's who Natasha was waiting on now. She should be with Clint eating mediocre chicken nuggets in the lunchroom, but nope. A stream of students flowed out of the classroom. Tony was the last to exit. He was in a silky yellow t-shirt and black skinny pants with a red scarf and shades. He paused when he saw her, lifting his shades to his forehead. Natasha was expecting him to be mad at her. She did smack the shit out of him after all. To her surprise, he looked more shocked and a little scared than anything else. She motioned to him with her finger. He did so quietly, standing in front of her cautiously while the other students walked around them. She rolled her eyes and sighed. Time to get this over with. Tony shoved his hands in his pockets and looked at her closely.

"You here to slap me some more, Romanoff?" he asked bitterly.

Natasha narrowed her eyes. Just great. He had an attitude, too.

"As much as I'd like to, no I'm not."

"Then what is it? I'm hungry." Tony quipped.

Natasha took a quick step forward. Tony took one step back and gulped. Natasha laughed internally. He was scared of her. Good. She smiled wickedly.

"You know, Tony, after Saturday morning I didn't know what I would do if I saw you again the rest of the weekend."

"Like what?" asked Tony.

Her wicked smile widened.

"Oh you know, like,...cut you out. Stomp you in the street. Kick. Your. Ass."

Tony's eyes bulged, and she chuckled softly while shaking her head.

"And amazingly, all I can do is sympathize with you."

Tony crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow. He snorted, obviously skeptical of her.

"Oh that's rich. And just what do mean by that, Romanoff?" he asked.

Natasha lowered her eyebrows. He wasn't even calling her by her 'Bonnie', a nickname she was ashamed to admit had grown on her.

"Clint." she said simply.

Tony stuck his tongue in his cheek and looked the other way.

"What about him?" he asked.

He wanted to sound upset, but Natasha heard how his voice raised slightly.

"He's driving you bonkers with his stubbornness. It's enough to make you want to punch a puppy. I know. He's been doing it to me too since we left your place."

Tony looked back at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"Clint wasn't talking to me that much this weekend. You know I'm his confidante, but he was on edge pretty much the entire time. He may look angry, but really he's just afraid that if he opens his mouth, something he doesn't want to admit will come out."

Tony's mouth was still in a frown, but she saw his big brown eyes light up. He looked at her knowingly and uncrossed his arms. Natasha ran a hand through her ponytail and gave a small nod.

"Yeah, Tony. Clint's been compromised. We both know by who."

Tony took a step closer to her.

"Why are you telling me this? I figured this is something you'd want to keep from me."

Natasha stepped closer herself. Tony was only a little bit taller than her, but the way her green eyes cut into his made him nervous. Good, because she was all business now.

"Tony Stark, you tell me right now what you want with Clint. Because if your agenda is just to fuck with him and make him another one of your sexual conquests, make no delusions; I will kill you. I'm talking razor blades and lemon juice here." she told him, putting as much ice in her voice as possible.

Rather than buckle at the knees like she secretly hoped he would, Tony instead leaned closer to her and looked at her challengingly. His own eyes cutting into her now. She was impressed that it worked for a millisecond.

"Natasha, I'm curious, are you doing this out of love?"

Natasha raised her eyebrows. 

~Love? Love?! Ha! Who the fuck does he think I am?~

"Clint is very important to me but no, Stark. Love is for children." she replied.

Tony licked his upper lip and laughed quietly for a second.

"Well Natasha, I'm sure you've already noticed than I can be pretty childish."

Natasha closed her eyes, looked down and sighed. In a matter of seconds, Tony received an ocean of respect from her. He stood his ground against her icy demeanor, something that made grown men scared to look her way. Natasha now knew now everything she needed to know. When she opened her eyes, Tony was smiling warmly at her. Nothing else needed to be said except one thing;

"Bathroom." she said, quickly turning around and walking towards the lunch room.

Natasha didn't see his reaction but she didn't feel him walking behind her. Apparently he got the message. It was now up to Clint to decide how to finish this situation, and time for Tony to either nut up or shut up. In the cafeteria, she got her food tray fairly quickly. Then she walked around and scanned the place. All of the tables were taken and Clint wasn't there to save a seat for her. 

~Shit. I'm too late.~

"Hey Natasha!" a familiar voice called out.

Natasha looked over to her left and saw Steve waving at her. He was at a table with Bruce, Sam, and Thor, gesturing to an empty seat they had. Natasha took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Time for a first; lunch without her partner. She let herself smile as she approached their table. It was a genuine smile, because now Clint wasn't the only one who was compromised.


	13. Game Changer

~Well isn't this just fan-freaking-tastic?~ Clint thought.

After Steve and Thor dropped him off last night, Barney shoved his drunk ass into the house and to his room. Clint was expecting a hypocritical alcohol lecture from his brother or a smack upside the head, but all Barney did was smile evilly at him. Barney helped him to bed, picked out some clothes for him to wear in the morning, and set his alarm clock. Clint dropped like a rock and slept like a baby. At the time Clint was too wasted to understand Barney's agenda, but he didn't care. He didn't care until the second his clock began beeping and he was brought out of his slumber with a childish whine. He felt like his head was stomped on by an elephant, and all he wanted to do was go back to bed for three more days. Clint almost closed his eyes again but Barney came into his room and roughly pulled him out of bed. The clever bastard. He knew Clint would have a terrible hangover but he was forcing him to go to school anyway. 

~That's what I get for drinking on a fucking Sunday.~

His morning shower helped ease his pain somewhat. While he was rinsing himself off, Clint was hit with all of his memories from last night. Man did he feel sick. He remembered Natasha finally had to go home and how he almost wanted to cry. After the whole breakfast thing, Natasha was the only thing keeping him sane and happy. Without her there, Clint's mind was doing circles back to Tony which that wasn't sitting right with him. He was so confused on how to feel about Tony that he wanted to hit something. Natasha was his partner. Natasha was his confidant. His best friend. His equal. Why was Tony Stark now potentially all of those? Clint had let his guard down for one night. One night. And bam! There he was just constantly on his mind. His million dollar face. That sexy grin. His slick ebony hair. His larger than life personality. The way the two of them seemed to just...click. Clint liked him. 

~No! No I don't! Not like that! God dammit!~ 

Clint had no idea when he'd gotten full on drunk or even when he was in the corner store, but the next thing he knew he was giggling like a school girl at Steve and Thor. Shamelessly flirting with them and telling them some of his life story. Telling them the thoughts about Tony he was fighting so hard to repress. Why did he do that? What about them made Clint want to talk and be so free? He'd been much more drunk than that before and never told secrets to people. Clint didn't like this feeling. It wasn't familiar. He sees better from a distance. He closes off from people unless they're Natasha or rarely (oh so rarely) Barney. That's how he was supposed to function, wasn't it?

Clint got himself dressed, ate a few granola bars and drank three cups of hot coffee. He still had a persistent headache, but he at least felt less nauseous. He looked at the counter and saw a pineapple Barney had bought the other day. He couldn't help biting his lip and grabbing at his crotch. 

~Mmmm. Pineapple. Just like Tony's chapstick when he kissed me during Truth or Dare. The smoothie we drank during breakfast. Just before he and I-~ 

Clint smacked himself in the temple, and a new wave of headache washing over him. He growled through clenched teeth. Great. Now he couldn't even look at pineapples without thinking about Tony, and to top it off he had blue balls like a bitch. He stopped himself from cumming during his encounter with Tony and the hot sex with Nat. He'd almost jacked off a few times over the weekend to get some relief, but pride was keeping him from doing so. He didn't need to do that shit! Plus there was the risk of him fantasizing about Tony, so definitely not an option.

Clint begged Barney to take him to school, but he refused. So, with a mild hangover, backed up sexual release, and confusion out the wazoo, Clint left for school. 

~Son of a fucking whore!~ 

Natasha tried getting him to tell her what's wrong the entire way over, but she wasn't necessarily helping anymore. School wasn't faring much better. Every class was just blahhhh blahhh blahhh. Constant droning about subjects that he couldn't care less about. That was bad enough itself, but Clint knew that the inevitable was coming; fourth period English. The only period he shared with Tony other than lunch, but he could avoid him there easily. When the time came to head to Room 107, Clint's feet felt like lead bricks with every step. He was tempted like hell to run out of the school and head home, but he knew Natasha would kill him for running out on her again. He was lucky enough to still be breathing after he did it last time.

Clint took his usual spot in the very back of the classroom, as far away from the other students as he could manage. The teacher learned his lesson when it came to calling on him for anything, so he was confident about not receiving any attention on that front. Pretty soon Tony walked into the room with a group of students clinging to him like fucking sticky notes. They were chatting his ears off for a job well done with his party. Clint was used to seeing people brown-nose Tony, but there were three things he noticed right then. One, Tony seemed disinterested in everything they were saying. That was weird because Tony was a major attention whore. Two, Tony took a small peek at Clint before he sat down. His eyes looked...hurt? Clint wondered what was going through Tony's mind, but the millionaire didn't look at him again. Three, he was wearing a tight pair of pants that made his ass look great. Clint licked his lower lip. He remembered grabbing Tony's ass and- 

~No! Dammit, mind, just stop it!~ 

Clint's face was neutral and his eyes were focused forward the entire fifty minutes of class, but his mind was like a fucking beehive. All he wanted was to stop thinking about Tony for five seconds. He wanted it to not be so hard to do. He wanted things to go back to how they were before. His life was still complicated before, but things were more or less simpler with Natasha. They did everything together. They ate lunch in comfortable silence. They talked shit for fun. They danced together. Drank. Laughed. Sometimes they had hot sex just for the hell of it. 

~But weren't you doing that with Tony, too for the most part?~ 

Clint despised it, but that part of his mind was telling the truth. In such a short amount of time, he and Tony...he and Tony,...

The bell rung making Clint jump in his seat. Mr. Rand was going over the homework and Clint looked down at himself in horror. His shorts were feeling tight. Clint hopped up from his seat, one of the first few out of the classroom. He saw Natasha waiting for him by the door like usual, but he couldn't see her right now. He wouldn't leave but some alone time was needed. Clint didn't wait for her reaction as he stormed off down the hall away from the cafeteria. He kicked open the door to the men's room, not caring how loud the slam was as it hit the wall. Clint had to fight to not punch the mirror above the sink as soon as he stomped inside. He was glad he was infamous at the school because the second he walked in, two random boys saw him and ran out, eyes avoiding him. Good. He needed to be alone right now. Clint looked at himself in the mirror. His eyes weren't red anymore but they looked tired. His headache had dulled and wasn't so persistent. He turned on the faucet and splashed some warm water on his face. He felt angry at himself. He couldn't even count on Nat right now to make him feel better. 

~If not her than who?~ 

He hung his head down and grabbed the edges of the sink. She was probably still waiting on him, but he didn't know if he could do this. His appetite was nowhere to be found and he didn't know if he would be able to tune out the endless chatter like normal. He closed his eyes and felt a lump form in his throat. 

"What am I supposed to do?" 

Clint turned around and slumped his back against the wall. His eyes still closed tight. 

~C'mon, man. Focus, Barton. Focus. He took slow deep breaths for a few minutes. Focus, Barton. Focus. This situation isn't that melodramatic. You're gonna be fine. Time to nut up or shut up.~ 

Clint opened his eyes. He couldn't believe how he was acting. He turned back to the mirror, grinning at his reflection. He would be fine. 

"I'll just meet up with Nat and deal with my issues later."

Clint wiped off his face with a paper towel. When he looked back up in the mirror his grin disappeared. He slowly turned around, seeing Tony fucking Stark come into the bathroom. The other boy was looking right at him, his signature shit eating grin nowhere to be found. In fact, if Clint wasn't mistaken, Tony looked determined. 

~No. Fucking. Way.~ 

Clint eyed Tony closely, who hadn't said anything yet. 

~Dammit if he doesn't look sexy in those jeans. Makes me just wanna-~ 

Clint smacked his temple. Tony jumped, arching an eyebrow.

"You alright, Clint?" he asked.

Nope.

"Yeah. I uh," Clint looked down at the floor, counting the tiles.

He blew out a breath.

"I'm sorry about,...you know,...punching you on Saturday. That wasn't cool."

Clint's heart now was racing just like it had that day. ~Oh boy. That's not good.~ He pulled the hood of his jacket up, shading his eyes. Tony crossed his arms and took a few steps foward. Clint fought to not stare at the way his hips moved in his sexy jeans when he walked.

"I'm sorry, too, Clint." he said, no trace of bullshit in his voice.

Clint looked at him through the shade of his hood. 

~Well, this is a shock. The egocentric attention whore is apologizing?~ 

Clint gulped when Tony took more steps, nearly closing the space between them. His chocolate brown eyes were focused on Clint's obscured face. Clint noticed how unlike on Saturday, Tony didn't look like he wanted to eat him alive. He looked genuine. Apologetic. Clint pursed his lips. He hated admitting it to himself but Tony deserved the truth.

"You don't need to apologize, Tony. You were right. I was two seconds behind you with our..."

Clint huffed through his nose. He couldn't believe he was having this conversation.

"Encounter. I was just so,..so um,..." he couldn't finish.

Cat had his tongue. So many things were bubbling up inside of him, and suddenly his mouth felt dry. With the way Tony was looking at him, Clint was feeling something that made him nervous; his self-control slipping. He needed to get a reign on things or so help him, he was about to do something crazy.

"Clint, what is this?" Tony asked quietly.

He gestured between the two of them, and Clint knew exactly what he was asking. It was super weird seeing Tony like this. So serious. It was different. It was touching. It was hot! Clint slowly lowered his hood, letting Tony see his eyes again. That simple question was causing his barriers to break. Some feelings were flooding back, which was a little terrifying but not entirely unwelcome. Clint's mouth was trembling. Tony gave the side of his nose a scratch.

"Tony I-" Clint started, but he couldn't get himself to say anything else again.

"Look, Clint, I don't know what's happening between us, but I have to know how you feel. Natasha told me how you were acting after you left. I never meant to make you uncomfortable or anything. I just,..."

Tony looked down and swallowed. Clint's fingers were starting to twitch, and so was another part of his body.

"Clint,..." Tony whispered.

The tension between them was way too thick, and Clint snapped. No way this could continue, so might as well give in. He lifted Tony's chin with his fingers and pulled him into a hard kiss. The second their lips made contact, electricity flowed through Clint's veins. Clint grabbed the small of Tony's back and pressed their lips harder together, kissing him like he had never kissed anyone before. Not even Natasha. Tony grabbed Clint's waist and pressed in as well. Clint moaned into their embrace, opening Tony's mouth with his own. Why did he ever deny himself this? Why had he been fighting so hard? He felt so stupid! They should be doing this all the time! Clint wrapped his arms tighter around Tony, practically gluing their bodies together. Tony chuckled as his tongue found Clint's. Just like before, Tony tasted like pineapple which made Clint's eyes flutter. Pineapple would never be the same again. Clint grew lightheaded and he quickly realized, he has to breathe! The two of them gasped loudly when Clint pulled their mouths apart. Tony's eyes were closed but he was grinning like a fat kid in a donut factory.

"I guess that answers that question." Clint breathed.

Tony laughed.

"You're quoting me now?"

Tony's hands tugged at the belt loops on Clint's shorts and started attacking his neck. The brunette licked and sucked at the space between his collar and shoulder, making Clint nearly fell at the knees. Tony's tongue was like soft wet fire. Clint had never felt so aroused in all his life. Tony was making him writhe.

"Oh! Oh shit!" he slipped out, and Tony chuckled against him.

"Clint?" he asked, his voice muffled against his flesh.

Clint gripped the back of Tony's hair tightly and grabbed the edge of the sink to balance himself.

"What?" he asked with a gasp.

Tony's teeth nicked his jugular, then his hands found Clint's ass and gave a squeeze, causing Clint give a thrust forward.

"It's your turn." Tony whispered.

Clint brought their lips back together, giving Tony's own ass a vice hard squeeze. Damn these jeans were good on him! Clint tongued him for another thirty seconds before Tony gently shoved his mouth away.

"It's your turn." he repeated.

"To what?" asked Clint, whose hands were moving up and down Tony's taut back under his shirt.

Tony gripped Clint's thighs as he stretched his head up to his ear.

"To cum, you idiot. You've already made me bust a nut, remember? You're so fucking backed up I can smell it."

Clint nodded, his eyes staring into Tony's as the millionaire clutched the outline of Clint's rock hard member through his shorts. Tony was right. He felt like a raging river trapped behind a dam, just waiting to break free. Clint was aching for release and he was going to fucking get it.

"Stall. Now." Clint growled.

He grabbed Tony by his scarf, choking him a little as he dragged them to the nearest stall. He only prayed to god that no one would have to use the bathroom for the next few minutes. Tony pinned Clint against the wall with another hard kiss, pleasantly surprising him with strength Clint didn't know he had. They tongue wrestled some more as Tony quickly undid the button to Clint's shorts and pulled them down with one hard tug. When Tony's soft hand reached inside his boxers, Clint bit down hard on Tony's lower lip as the boy grabbed his engorged throbbing shaft. Tony broke their kiss, stroking Clint with one hand and wiping his lip with the other. Clint looked at him apologetically. His lip looked a little swollen. Tony only grinned at him, and Clint almost came just from looking at him slowly get down on his knees. Tony pulled down Clint's boxers, his 7 1/2 inch cock springing free. His bare ass pressed against the cold wall.

"Ca-ching." said Tony with a chuckle.

Clint stuck his tongue out over his lip and winced as Tony wrapped both of his hands around his cock. Tony brought his head forward, his tongue flicking at the sensitive head like a snake. A string of precum leaked from him which Tony quickly lapped up. Clint was so swollen it hurt.

"How about it, Clint? Mind blowing head in a public restroom? There's still time to back out. I mean, if you wanna. Do you wanna? Back out I mean?" asked Tony.

Clint balled up his fist and slammed it against the wall.

"Just suck my dick, please!" 

Tony nodded and did as he was told, wasting no more time. He brought his mouth down on Clint's dick, swallowing him whole in one swift motion. Clint's back arched and his toes curled in his shoes. He squeezed his eyes shut and made loud walrus like sounds. Tony was bobbing his head up and down on Clint's member. Soft. Wet. Warm. Tongue swirling around the veins of his dick. He tried to speak. Tried to tell him how good he was. How perfect he was sucking him off, but all the came out of his mouth was,

"Nyuh! Aghhhhhh! Ohhhhhh! Oh! OHHH! OHHH! Sheeeuhhhh!"

Tony continued sucking him off, his head moving up and down. Around and around, breathing hard through his nose. Clint's dick was covered in Tony's saliva, making it sopping wet. Clint couldn't remember the last time somebody sucked him this good. 

~Never! Oh my god, never!~ 

The tip of his cock bumped against the back of Tony's throat. He pulled so hard at Tony's hair he was worried he might rip some of it out. Tony, unphased, continued working his magic, and Clint's stomach muscles tightened. He felt the familiar series of contractions in his cock making his face twist. This felt so fucking good! So hard! So wet! He clenched his teeth together, his hand still bunching Tony's hair.

"Oh gyah! To- To- To," Clint tried his best to say Tony's name, but he did nothing except keep speaking in tongues.

"Mmmhhmmmm. Uh huh. Uh huh. " he heard Tony mumble, his thick cock fully enveloping Tony's mouth.

The vibrations in Tony's throat sent him over the edge. No going back. No going back!

"Ohhhhh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-!"

Clint whined and bent forward, his orgasm finally taking him over. He squirted long and hard down Tony's throat, his spurting eruptions almost feeling painful with their long overdue release. Tony only laughed as he swallowed every drop. Seeing Tony like that drove Clint wild and made him shoot a second wave. A third.

Tony continued to swallow, his mouth sucking and contracting hard on the hilt of Clint's crotch. Clint gasped for air like a fish out of water. It was as if all of the anger and frustration he was holding inside left his body in spades. It was fantastic, but it was also too much. He let go of Tony's hair and gently pushed his face off of him, shivering as the air hit his hypersensitive cock. Clint's eyes rolled up. His legs felt like jelly as he slid down the wall, sitting firmly on the floor. Breathing hitching. Body trembling. Slick wet cock lying on the ground. Tony, who was still on his knees, licked his lips and crawled between Clint's legs.

"Feeling better, Clyde?" he asked, his voice low.

Clint could barely keep up a coherent thought right now, let alone speak. Still breathing hard, Clint gave a simple nod. Tony crawled further, bringing his lips to Clint's. They kissed again, this time slower. More tender, less hungry and more affectionate. Their palates tasted like semen and pineapple, a tasty mix of sweet and salty. Clint was glad this happened. He felt like he was on a natural high.

"I know it's the middle of the day but, fuck it. Wanna get outta here?" Tony asked.

Clint still wasn't able to speak, but he gave a warm chuckle and another nod. Tony firmly grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. Clint slowly pulled his shorts and boxers back up, smiling at Tony the entire time. Tony grabbed Clint's shoulders and gave him another chaste kiss before leaving the bathroom with him.

Clint would always have Natasha. She would remain his partner forever, but Clint finally came to terms with what just happened; he was compromised. And it no longer felt like the end of the world.


	14. Dummy

Tony felt on top of the world right now. Clint still wasn't talking as the two of them made their way to the front door, but he figured that was just the result of a job well done. Hell, the boy looked high because of what they just did. Clint's face wasn't so hard anymore. He didn't look so intense and on edge like usual. His eyelids were halfway down and the corners of his mouth were turned up. Tony couldn't help but smile ear to ear. Their session in the bathroom was something else he wasn't planning. After his helpful chat with Natasha (God dammit was she scary) Tony decided to brave up. He got her message instantly and went to ask Clint straight up how he felt. He wasn't sure he would be able to make it through with all of the tension between them, but then Clint attacked him and the rest is history. Tony pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. The taste of Clint was still very much there. Tony was proud of himself. Clint shot so much repressed baby-gravy into his mouth that he was worried he wouldn't be able to swallow it all. But he did, and it was awesome. As they made their way outside to the front steps, Tony saw two security guards there who immediately tensed when they saw them. Tony wasn't worried, though.

"Hey! What're you two do-" one of the guards started, but then he saw who it was.

Tony winked at him and the guards just looked the other way, letting them pass to the parking lot. He didn't skip school all that often, but when he did he was rarely ever met with resistance. He's Tony fucking Stark, and if he wants to leave early that's exactly what he was going to do. He saw Clint roll his eyes but continue to smile softly. Tony led him to his shiny red Corvette, snapping his fingers and opening the door automatically. Tony went around to the driver's side while Clint stared at the passenger seat with raised eyebrows. Tony put a piece of pineapple flavored chewing gum in his mouth and smiled at Clint's reaction.

"Sexy, right?" he asked, loudly chewing his gum and hopping in.

Clint slowly slid into the passenger seat, startled slightly as the seatbelt began to hook itself around him. Clint looked at Tony as he started the car, some AC/DC song blasting through the speakers. Tony blew a big bubble and slammed his foot on the pedal, speeding out of the parking lot. The loud roar of his vehicle was music to his ears. Being a millionaire certainly had its perks every now and then.

"Let's do something fun. Wanna see a movie or something?" he asked.

When Tony didn't hear a response, he looked to his right . Clint leaning his head against the window. His eyes were distant, staring at the outside blurring by.

"Clint?" 

The blond turned his head towards Tony. He closed his eyes and shrugged. Tony furrowed his brows. Why isn't he talking? Tony kept up his smile though. Clint was still with him and he didn't look upset which was still a win in his eyes. They seemed to have similar tastes, so he asked,

"Hey, have you seen the Three Kicks To The Head movies?"

Clint gave a closed mouth smile and nodded. 

~Alright. Now we're getting somewhere.~

"Part Four's out. Wanna go see it? Ya know,...together?" asked Tony.

Clint nodded again, leaning his head back against the window. Tony beamed and picked up the speed. He felt excited and nervous at the same time. The person in the car next to him may not know it yet, but they were going out on a date. Tony sighed at the thought. 

~I'm going on a date with Clint fucking Barton. Monday, Funday!~

************

The Stark name had very few places where it held no influence. The second they stepped up to the ticket booth at the theater, the lady there recognized his face and gave him two free tickets. It was the same at the snack counter. Tony got two jumbo drinks and a medium bucket of popcorn for him and Clint to share. Oh, Clint. He still hadn't spoken a single word since they left the school. When Tony got bold and decided to grab his hand as they walked to the movie room, Clint grabbed back and grinned at him. Tony's mile wide smile popped up. He was holding hands with Clint fucking Barton! Wow!

They sat in the very back of the room, not wanting to be bothered with the other movie goers. While the previews were playing, Tony glanced at Clint. His steely-blues were focused. Looking straight ahead, taking in every detail of what was happening on screen. He wondered what makes him do that. What goes through his mind when he does so. He was just so full of mystique that it was driving Tony crazy all over again but in a good way. Tony slowly slung an arm around Clint's shoulder. Careful in case he tensed up again. Things were going okay so far and he hoped he wouldn't do anything to mess it up. His arm reached all the way behind Clint, his heart racing at the touch. Clint took a quick look at Tony's hand on his shoulder before looking back at the screen. Tony couldn't help throwing a small fist pump in the air with his other hand. So far, so good. He had butterflies in his stomach,feeling like a middle-schooler all over again. This was Tony's first date in years since he broke it off with Pepper, and the first one ever with a guy.

"You okay?" he asked Clint.

Clint ate some popcorn and nodded, leaning back further into the crook of Tony's arm.

********

He and Clint walked out of the movie two hours later. Tony was shaking with excitement, his ears still ringing from the last few explosions before the end credits started rolling. He had already seen the movie two weeks before its theatrical release, but something about watching it with Clint made him feel like he was seeing it for the first time again. Clint still wasn't talking, but he was smiling and even chuckling here and there. Tony grabbed Clint's hand as they walked to his car, and again Clint let him. This made Tony so happy he almost giggled like a little girl. Clint was a very tough guy with a hell of a right jab. Everything Tony was doing to him, Clint was letting it happen. The two of them ate the entire bucket of popcorn together so Clint was now sipping the last of his drink. Tony looked closely at Clint's lips. They were stained red somewhat from his fruit punch. 

~I'd like to have a taste of that.~ 

Tony looked at the time on his watch. School was still in session for another hour or so, yet there he was leaving the movie theater with his crush. 

~To think I could be taking some pointless test right now. Ha!~ 

They hopped back in his Corvette and took off to nowhere in particular.

"So that movie was fucking awesome, right?" he asked, hoping for an actual vocal response this time.

Clint only looked at him and licked his lower lip. 

~Why is it so sexy every time he does that?~ 

Clint set his drink in the cupholder, leaned across his seat and locked lips with Tony. Tony chuckled as he kissed back. Clint then pulled back, smirking sideways at him as he looked forward. Tony bit down on his lip, smiling like an idiot as he sped out of the parking lot.

Tony didn't have any particular destination in mind as he drove away from the theater. He didn't feel like going home yet and he wasn't ready to drop Clint off at his house. Some ten-fifteen minutes into their aimless drive, Clint's silence was now really starting to bother him. Tony was a chatterbox so it was only natural. Clint's broody quiet thing might be okay with Natasha, but if they were gonna keep spending time together (and boy he hoped they would) Clint was going to have to open his fucking mouth. He chuckled a little as a funny subject came to mind.

"Hey Clyde, do you know that we've had two sexual encounters before we've had our first date?"

Clint seemed to cringe at the word 'date', and Tony was beginning to regret opening his mouth. Then, his surprise, Clint put his head in his hand and simply said,

"Fuck." 

Tony almost jumped at finally hearing his voice after what, two and a half hours? More, maybe? Tony looked at him and laughed.

"I like how you say 'fuck'."

Clint arched a brow at him.

"Oh really?" he asked, intrigued.

Tony nodded. It was another little thing about Clint that added to his crush on him.

"Fuck you." Clint said playfully.

"Fuck me?" asked Tony with an arched brow of his own.

Clint grinned.

"Fuck you." he repeated, giving his lower lip another lick

Tony shifted in his seat, focusing back on the road. Was Clint trying to turn him on? 

"No empty promises, Clyde." said Tony with a wink.

Clint scratched his scalp, looking thoughtful.

"Tony, why did that just happen?"

Tony looked hard at Clint.

"What, our date? Or me giving you great head in the bathroom?"

Clint stroked at his mouth, still looking thoughtful.

"Both I guess." he replied, his voice going quiet.

~Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me!~ 

Tony gripped the steering wheel tightly, sighing hard with irritation. He pulled over to the side of the road and abruptly stopped the car. He looked at Clint and threw his hands up in the air. Clint looked back at him, his expression confused.

"What?" he asked.

Tony smacked the dashboard hard, making Clint jump. Then he vented.

"Do I have to fucking write it on a flag and wave it front of your face?! Why else would I kiss you in front of all our friends? Dryhump you in my kitchen! Suck your dick in a school bathroom! I like you, you dummy!"

Clint went rigid, narrowing his eyes at Tony.

"What did you just call me?" he asked, his voiced raised an octave.

Tony grew nervous of Clint's thoughts, but just like Natasha when she threatened him earlier, he stood his ground. He unhooked his seatbelt and leaned in forward to Clint, their lips not quite touching.

"You heard me, you dummy. I like you. I like you a lot. I have for quite a while now, even before my party."

Tony swallowed, struggling to keep eye contact with him.

"Please tell me I'm not alone in this, Clint! Because I swear if our time in the bathroom and the date we just had was all one-sided then-"

Before Tony could finish his plea, Clint's rough hand grabbed the back of Tony's neck and crashed their lips together. Their mouths were moving and molding together, eliciting moans from them both. Then Clint took off his seat belt, and Tony gasped when he felt Clint's hand fumbling with the zipper of his jeans. Clint momentarily stopped their kiss, his eyes darkened with lust looking directly at Tony. Tony felt a shiver go down his spine at the sight of them but man was it a turn on.

"I like you, too, Tony. You think you're the only one who's been driven up the wall here? You have no idea what's been going on in my head. My god, Tony! I want you. Do you hear me? I want you!" he growled.

God dammit if that wasn't the sexiest thing Tony had ever heard. He helped Clint pull down his zipper and tug down his pants. Clint's hands stroked up and down Tony's now exposed thighs as he resumed their kiss. Tony's breathing became frantic as he rubbed his hands all over the tight muscles of Clint's back. Clint lifted himself up, continuing to breathlessly tongue him as he unzipped his shorts and let them fall. Clint then shed his hoodie. Tony then felt a small burn as Clint tore his scarf from around his neck. Tony grabbed Clint's boxers and pulled them down quickly, his eyes bulging at Clint's fully erect cock. Damn he recovered pretty quickly. Clint broke their kiss to kick his shorts and underwear off from around his ankles.

"These windows are darkened from the outside, right?" asked Clint.

His rough callused hands felt great as he reached inside of Tony's briefs and cupped his balls.

"Ugh! Yeah, yeah." he replied, still catching his breath.

"Good." Clint whispered as he jumped from his seat straddling Tony.

The two of them locked eyes, Tony's own painfully hard erection springing itself free from the slit in his briefs and skimming the underside of Clint's thigh. Tony shoved his tongue back in Clint's mouth, swallowing his lover's moans into him. He moved his hands up Clint's thighs and firmly gripped his ass. Tony bit down on Clint's lip, growing brick hard when he finally got to feel the skin of Clint's plump rear. He smacked his cheeks with both hands, making Clint gasp and break their kiss. Clint buried his head into Tony's collar as Tony smacked his ass again.

"Holy shit, Clint. Your butt is like two fleshy water balloons."

Clint bit down hard on Tony's shoulder, making him nearly shriek in pain.

"OwowowOW!" he yelled.

"If you don't want to finish this alone, don't ever fucking say that again!"

The combination of lust and anger in Clint's statement made Tony grind his hips into Clint's, his long 8 incher lining along the crack of Clint's ass.

"Careful, Clint. Remember, I told you no empty promises." he retorted.

Clint pressed the side of his face against Tony's cheek, his skin searing hot. He peppered his cheek and neck with small kisses, making Clint grind into him as well. Tony licked Clint's earlobe causing the blond to moan loudly.

"Tony,...the foreplay's nice and all but we're gonna have to start fucking now." he whispered.

Tony's hands went back to Clint's ass, giving a merciless squeeze that made Clint arch his head back and groan.

"You know I love the way you say fu-"

"Like thirty seconds ago, Tony!" Clint shouted.

Tony grinned at him, watching the man of his dreams tremble with anticipation.

"You don't have to tell me twice." he breathed.

He needed this. He needed to be inside of Clint. To be surrounded by Clint. To have him right then and there in the cooped up space of his favorite car half naked and desperate. If this came to a halt in any way he might explode. Tony grabbed Clint's hips, raised him up slightly, and positioned him over the tip of his erection.

"You ready?" he asked.

He was tapping into all shreds of his self control to not take Clint right then and there. If he was going to fuck him, he needed to know for sure he was okay with it. Clint responded by biting down on Tony's shoulder again. Hard.

"Ow! Shit!"

He could swear Clint broke some skin that time. 

~Impatient bastard!~

"Oh, that's it!" Tony growled.

His hands formed an iron grip on Clint's hips and shoved him down hard on his cock, the heat and pressure from his airtight warmth nearly making Tony bust that very second.

"AGHHH!" Clint cried out.

Tony's head arched back against the seat as he squeezed his eyes shut, his mind in a frenzy. 

~Holy shit! I'm inside of Clint fucking Barton! Clint Barton is on top of my dick! Oh god, he's so tight! Jesus! Oh Jesus! Yes! So much yes!~ 

Tony surged his hips upward, making Clint cry out again.

"Fuck! Tony!" Clint shouted, and it only made the black haired teen that much hornier.

Clint was crying out his name. A mix of pain and pleasure because of him. Tony made another rough thrust upward, but then Clint slammed his fist against the window, the sudden thump scaring him. Tony opened his eyes, ceasing all movement when he saw Clint red-faced and shaking. He was clenching his teeth, looking like he was trying to fight off tears. Tony looked at him with a horrified expression. He had hurt his lover. Then it hit him, and Tony's fingers loosened on Clint's hips.

"Clint, are you a virgin to being fucked?" he asked, ashamed that he was still rock hard inside of Clint's hole.

Clint swallowed, nodding his head slowly and closing his eyes. Tony cupped Clint's face and brought him forward into a soft kiss.

"Look, just breathe, okay? This shit can be rough the first time. I don't want to hurt you, but I think it's too late for us to go back right now. Unless you want to."

Tony began lifting Clint off of him. Halfway there Clint smacked at Tony's hands, surprising him. Clint kissed him again then shook his head 'no'.

"It's alright, T. Just,...just let me handle this."

Tony nodded and he slowly slid him back down. The tip of Tony's cock struck a bundle of nerves when Clint came back down all the way, making both of them gasp. Clint licked his lower lip, and Tony grew an extra inch inside of him. Then, Clint slowly lifted his right leg up, positioning it straight over over Tony's shoulder. He had almost forgotten about Clint's flexibility. It was so erotic he didn't think he could handle it much longer. Clint smiled like a vixen as he wrapped that leg around the back of Tony's neck, bringing his head forward. Clint then ground himself on Tony's cock, moving his hips in a figure eight motion. Clint let out a grunt of pleasure when Tony finally found his prostate. Tony's cock was tingling when he hit that sweet spot, and Clint started slowly moving himself up and down. Tony's breath coming in shorts bursts every time.

"Oh my god, Clint! H-How am I supposed to last with you working me like this?" he struggled to say.

Clint reached up and pressed his palms against the roof of the car, stretching his upper body backwards while his ass kept working Tony. Tony felt himself getting close already. Clint stretched back further, his shirt sliding up and revealing his amazing abs. Tony ran his hands up Clint's rigid stomach and he bit down on his lower lip so hard he almost drew blood.

"Clint,..oh guyah!" he cried out.

Clint brought himself back forward, clasping his hands behind Tony's neck as he began riding him hard like a jockey.

"Clint, you're about to make me cum in about fifteen seconds if you don't stop that!"

Clint responded by bouncing himself up and down, Tony slamming into his prostate with each stroke. They both moaned loudly, and Tony grabbed Clint's cock with his left hand. Clint continued to bounce himself fast and hard on the throbbing member as Tony stroked him with rough, relentless force. Tony saw Clint's face already start to scrunch and contort and smiled. He was gonna cum in less than thirty seconds but already Clint was about to beat him to it. He could feel it.

"I'm not gonna last either! Oh my god! You're so big! Oh-aghh! Gahhhd!"

"I want you to say my name when you cum, Clint."

Clint shook his head. 

~Stubborn fucker, isn't he? Alrighty then!~ 

Tony's hand jerked the length of Clint's cock mercilessly. Clint buried his head in Tony's collarbone, his warm breath hitting his chest.

"Do it, Clint!" he ordered, wincing as Clint tightened on him like a bear trap.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! To-Toh! Tony! TONY!"

Clint screamed his name at the top of his lungs, and like a volcano he erupted. A thick pool of hot cum completely covering the hand Tony was jerking him with. Tony was driven over the edge with Clint cumming in his hand and still slamming onto him.

"Right behind ya, pal! Oh god, yes! YES!" Tony yelled, and he burst as well.

Tony's orgasm was intense to say the least. His legs were sprawling and criss-crossing as he shot a giant load into Clint's anal canals, filling him up with four waves of cum. His knees roughly bumped the steering wheel and his toes curled so hard he felt his socks grow a tear from his toenails. Both of them were then panting like dogs and gripping each other painfully tight. Both out of breath with waves of euphoria washing over them like rain. Tony leaned upward and sucked on Clint's tongue, which has hanging out of his mouth like a dog. Clint broke their kiss, his sweaty body collapsing on top of Tony's own. Tony then held him tightly while they both caught their breath for a minute.

"You...you okay?" asked Tony.

"Tony,...I've just had two powerful orgasms, my ass deflowered, and I'm still a little hungover. You've worn me out." Clint breathed out.

"Hungover? What were you doing last night?"

Clint raised an eyebrow at him.

"You mean Steve and Thor didn't tell you?" he asked.

Tony lowered his eyebrows. Just what the hell happened that the two golden boys who never lied or kept secrets didn't bother telling him about? Clint shook his head.

"Fuck it. I'll tell you later."

Tony hissed some as Clint lifted himself off of him.

"Holy fuck, I can't believe you just came inside me. I...I think I can feel it in there. It's like you impregnated me or something." He plopped back in his seat, running a hand through his damp blond hair.

Tony let out a short wheezing laugh, impressed that Clint was joking so soon after what just happened between them. He wiped his hands off with his scarf, doing the same to he and Clint's cum slicked cocks. He then tossed the scarf down by the brake pedal. 

~Such a shame. That scarf costed a lot.~ 

Clint looked at him with drowsy eyes as he slowly put his boxers and shorts back on. Tony did the same with his pants then rolled down the windows a little. The inside of the car smelled like sweat, sex, and hormones. As much as kinda liked it, he was hot and the air inside felt thick. He turned the car on and began pulling back out onto the road.

"Hey Clint, you get some rest for a while. I'll take us back to my place and we can both get cleaned up." he said.

Clint nodded, laying his face against the headrest.

"Sounds awesome." he replied with a yawn.

Tony bit down on his lip and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Maybe we can shower together?"

Clint just chuckled while he closed his eyes. Tony's curiosity was driving him nuts on the subject, so before Clint fell asleep he asked him,

"You didn't deny we just went out on a date and I made you scream my name when you came. Are...are you and I a thing now?"

Clint yawned again.

"Not sure about going through with it,...but I think I want to."

****************************************************************************************

Clint was woken up with a gentle nudge to his shoulder. His eyes fluttered open and he saw Tony smiling at him. He yawned loudly and sat up slowly in his seat. He had only gotten about twenty minutes of sleep maybe. He wiped at his eyes and unbuckled his seatbelt.

"We here?" he asked, his voice a little hoarse.

"Yup." said Tony.

They were parked in front of his house. Clint rubbed his forehead. On Saturday when he raged, he didn't think he'd ever willingly come back here. He looked at Tony, wondering if he still felt bitter about the punch to the head. He and Tony exited the car, stretching and yawning. Happy was coming out the front door to meet them.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Stark. I'm surprised to see you here early. I thought school wasn't over yet." he said.

"Eh, I got bored and left early. Park the car, please? And make sure nobody bothers me for the next few hours. My guest and I are going to hang out on my floor."

"Absolutely, Mr. Stark."

Happy quickly shook hands with Clint before hopping in the Corvette and driving off. Clint took a step forward and hissed at the sudden sharp pain in his tailbone. His ass still felt sore from when Tony penetrated him. He groaned at the memory. Tony was trying to make sure he was okay with it, but Clint was in too much of a hurry and it ended up hurting like hell at first. Even after it started feeling good, Stark was well endowed and did a number on him. Tony slung his arm around his shoulder as they walked to his house. Clint was limping some, feeling really embarrassed. 

~I just got fucked by Tony Stark. My first time getting fucked was by Tony fucking Stark! Holy hell, what has my life come to?~

"You okay, Clint?" Tony asked.

Clint was secretly touched. Tony was concerned about him. He just took his anal virginity, and even though they both had mindblowing orgasms during their act, Tony was still worried about him. Clint smiled and nodded as they entered the house.

"Five by five, T." he said.

Tony kissed his cheek and Clint blushed. His mind was still processing everything that happened but he was happy. Tony was showing affection, which was weird but Clint liked it. He was so worried when he decided to give in earlier in the bathroom he wouldn't have been unable to get Natasha out of his mind. That wasn't the case however, and Clint felt happy and scared at the same time. Before Tony's party, Natasha was the only constant in his weird life, and even then their relationship status was never really defined. He and Tony have only had three or four days of interaction. What was going to happen now? Clint laughed internally at himself. 

~With Tony fucking Stark, something crazy no doubt.~

The minute they stepped out of the elevator onto Tony's floor, Clint peeled his jacket off and tossed it on the carpet. He kicked off his shoes and socks and pulled down his zipper, letting his shorts fall. He then felt Tony's hands grab at the bottom of his shirt from behind and softly kiss the back of his neck.

"Is this an invitation?" he asked, sliding his hands around to Clint's abs.

Clint chuckled and shook his head.

"Tony I'm flattered that I make you so horny, but I already told you I'm worn out because of you."

Clint turned his head and looked at Tony, who was biting on his lip as he continued stroking Clint's stomach.

"I can't help it, Clyde. I've got fast recovery time and you're hot." he said.

Clint turned himself around, lifting his arms up as Tony pulled his shirt over his head. He tossed Clint's shirt to the side and wrapped his arms around his waist. Tony drunk in the sight of him in nothing but his underwear and gave a wolf whistle.

"Holy shit. You are one sexy purple loving bastard."

Clint giggled and licked his lower lip.

"Yes. Yes I am."

Clint leaned in and kissed him, sighing once more at the taste of pineapple. He may not have been ready to go another round but kissing was always nice. Clint then stopped their kiss when Tony started groping the front of his boxers. Clint grabbed Tony's wrist and shook his head, giving him a sexy smirk.

"Later, T. I promise." he said.

Tony poked out his lower lip like a little kid which made Clint laugh. He gave Tony another small kiss and walked toward the bathroom. He hopped out of his boxers and turned on the shower. The hot water felt amazing. His shower back at home was faulty at times, and the water this morning was only lukewarm at best. Clint washed himself good, scrubbing at every crevice on his body. As he bent over to rub some bodywash on his lower legs, he jumped when he felt a pair of hands stroke at his lower back. He snapped up straight and spun around, relieved to see it was only Tony. A very naked Tony. A very sexy naked Tony. The millionaire was more slender than Clint, but he was plenty fit. Clint's eyes traced the outline of his flat stomach. The curve under his chest. His runner like calves. His firm, taut shoulders. How cute he looked with his wet hair hanging in front of his face like a black curtain. Tony grinned when Clint reached forward and pushed some hair out of his eyes. Tony's eyes were staring right into Clint's, looking thoughtful as the hot water continued to pelt them both.

"Clint?"

"Yeah, Tony?"

"Do you regret what happened today?"

Clint exhaled and brought him into a hot, wet kiss. He used tongue and passion, pressing his wet naked body into Tony's, wrapping his fingers in Tony's hair. When he pulled back, both of them were giving shit eating grins to each other. Clint chuckled when he felt Tony's half erect cock push up against his thigh.

"No. I may still be a little confused about how to feel about our situation, but I don't regret it. I wouldn't be here making out with you in the shower if I did."

Tony flashed his pearly whites and grabbed Clint's shoulders.

"That's what I like to hear, Clyde."

Clint laughed some.

"I love it when you call me that. It's funny, ya know? For some reason it's weird when you call me 'Clint' instead of 'Clyde'."

Tony arched an eyebrow and gestured at their nude forms.

"Yeah well, there's not really a lot of need for me to be formal right now. Cuz I'm a big ho."

Clint tightened his grip in Tony's hair. Pulling hard at the root, making him whimper. Then Clint yanked Tony's head to the side and brought his mouth to his ear.

"So I've heard. If we're gonna continue...this...that's gonna have to stop, T."

"Yow! What is?" Tony strained.

"You being a big ho. I'm here because I want to be you, not to be a quick screw. You understand what I'm saying?"

Tony nodded and Clint let go of his hair.

"Oww! Holy shit, Clyde. I don't know whether to cower away from you or fuck you." said Tony.

Clint kissed Tony again and took a few steps back to rinse off his soapy legs before throwing a devilish grin Tony's way.

"When I'm revved up again later, I'll make you wanna do both."

Tony grinned back, now washing his own body.

"I'm counting on it."

******

Tony was loaded, so Clint wasn't worried about running up his water bill. He and Tony showered for a good forty minutes before he finally got out. When Tony led him to his bedroom, Clint was surprised to see two pairs of satin pajamas waiting for him on Tony's continent of a bed. One Tony's usual red, and one purple. Clint laughed as he slipped on the pants.

"Where are my clothes, Tony?" he asked.

"Don't you remember? Covered in our splooge. I put them in the wash before I hopped in the shower with you. They'll be ready by the time you wake up." Tony answered.

Clint yawned loudly. Last night and the past few hours had caught up with him full force. He actually wanted to stay in the shower longer, but Tony insisted on him getting out when he saw him swaying.

"How do they feel?" Tony asked when Clint put on the top.

Clint shrugged nonchalantly, but the truth was he loved the way satin felt on his skin. He crawled under the sheets, his eyes fluttering at the feel of the silky fabric. The way his head seemed molded into the cloud of a pillow like it was made for him. How Tony ever got out of this bed on a regular basis was a mystery. He rolled onto his back and put his hands behind his head.

"Guess how I knew to get purple by the way?" Tony asked.

Clint rolled his eyes but smiled.

"Oh fuck you."

Tony quickly straddled Clint and brought him into another deep kiss. Clint moaned into it, but when he felt something hard poke into his pelvis he had to break the kiss and give a sleepy laugh.

"Jesus, Tony. I wanna give your body what it's waiting for, really I do, but can't you see me falling asleep here?" he asked.

"But you said 'fuck' again." Tony replied with a cheeky smile.

When Tony's smile went away and his lips went flat, Clint frowned at him.

"What is it?" he asked, struggling to stay awake.

"I think we should tell the others." Tony replied.

Clint leaned up on his elbows.

"Well, Nat is a given. Thor and Steve kind of already know, too."

"Yeah that reminds me, what were you talking about earlier when you brought up those two?"

Clint scratched behind his ear and sighed. He'd just had sex with Tony not too long ago but he still felt embarrassed about yesterday.

"Um, last night I was feeling down and angry, so I hit the bottle and got a little fucked up. Drunk as a son of a bitch, I went to the store and bumped into Steve and Thor. They were nice enough to take me home, but on the way back to my house I was kind of uh,...babbling about how much I liked you and found you hot."

Rather than throw his head back laughing and teasing him about it like Clint expected, Tony only smirked and ran his hands over Clint's chest.

"Not really helping out my issue down here." he said, glancing down at his boner.

Clint rolled his eyes.

"So anyway that's Steve, Thor, and Nat so far. I have an older brother I live with but I'm not sure about him. Who else did you have in mind cuz,.. I don't know, man."

Tony scratched his cheek, thinking for a moment.

"Pepper. Rhodey. Those two have been apart of my life for years. Sam is a maybe. Steve and Thor have probably already told Sharon and Jane already. We'll have to see about them. Hey, can Bruce know, too?"

Clint could live with this. He didn't interact with Bruce much during the party but he liked him just fine. Then he felt bad for giving him the cold shoulder earlier.

"Why Bruce?" he asked.

Tony shrugged.

"I like the guy. Besides he's like Thor's new best friend. Not to mention he was there at the after-party. Yeah. Yeah, everyone at the after-party can know."

Clint gave a nod.

"Okay, but that's it. No going public just yet. I'm not your boyfriend."

Tony snatched his hands off Clint's chest and frowned deeply at him.

"Excuse me?" he asked, clearly offended.

Clint shook his head and pulled Tony into another heated kiss. Tony couldn't resist and sighed into their liplock. Clint kissed him good for ten seconds before he pulled back.

"It's not like that, Tony. All I mean is,...I still have a lot to process with all this. I...I've never dated anyone before."

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Could've fooled me. What about Bonnie?"

"Tony,...we aren't dating. Never were. She and I have had sex before and we show affection and shit like that, but no. We just share a special kind of connection that we can't place under a title."

"I see. So you're more than simple fuck buddies but not quite a couple. Shit, you're right. I can't give a name to that."

Clint laughed quietly, his heavy eyelids slowly closing against his will.

"Tony, let's take this one day at a time, okay? It's just how I work. If shit works out, we can save the 'boyfriend' title for the future."

Tony kissed him one last time before getting off and crawling out the bed.

"Sounds good to me, but it better be the near future. Now you go ahead and nap, because you have Little Tony to take care of the second you wake up."

Clint let out a chuckle before he finally drifted off into much needed sleep, happy his message had gotten across. 

~I can't wait.~


	15. News

*****************Four and a half weeks later*****************

 

Steve smiled to himself. ~This is how things are supposed to be.~ he thought. It was a Friday afternoon, and Steve and his friends were sitting at a table eating lunch. The six of them. Their circle. Him. Tony. Clint. Natasha. Bruce. Thor. Sam unfortunately was busy elsewhere. They were all chatting and munching happily on chicken shawarma. Tony was sick of them always going to the coffee shop after school, so he seemed adamant on them all trying something random and new. He noticed the shawarma joint a couple blocks from the school and Steve chuckled, remembering what Tony had said;

"I don't know what it is but I wanna try it."

Steve took another hearty bite and looked at Tony and Clint. They were sitting next to each other, red faced from laughing really hard. Something outrageous Clint had said about cocaine and sweets. Steve smiled. It had been a little over a month since that life changing game of Truth or Dare at Tony's house. The following Tuesday after their fallout that weekend, Tony and Clint had showed up to school. Together. They told Steve and the others that they were "sort of going out now", and the only one who seemed surprised was Sam. Steve was happy that Tony and Clint made up and decided to give each other a shot. They worked well together.

Since then Clint and Natasha had begun hanging out with all of them a lot more. Together and separate much to Steve's pleasant surprise. The two of them weren't into sports so they never attended Thor's games, but they did plenty of other stuff with them. Sometimes Natasha would study with Bruce and Betty at his house. Other times Clint would go running with Steve and Sam. Sometimes both of them would hang out at Tony's or like now, come with all of them as a group for after-school lunches and movie nights. Their first movie night as a collective consisted of apple pies and a Three Kicks To The Head movie marathon, which Bruce thoroughly enjoyed. Steve felt so proud of himself. If he hadn't invited Clint and Natasha to Tony's birthday party, he wasn't sure if this ever would've happened. He liked them both a lot, and apparently they liked him back. Clint was trying (emphasis on trying) to swear less around Steve. Natasha put forth effort in holding conversations with the rest of them without help from her partner.

Pepper and Rhodey weren't around that much since Truth or Dare. Apparently Pepper had finally made a clean break with Tony. Sad but neccessary, Steve supposed. Why Rhodey hardly ever hung out with them was anybody's guess. He and Tony just weren't talking to each other that much anymore. Steve had asked why but Tony himself didn't even know.   
~Kinda like me and Bucky I guess.~ 

He wished Betty and Jane would come to their hangouts. They were civil and friendly, but the two of them still preferred to keep their distance. They mostly hung out with each other instead, watching little Darcy or going over notes together. Steve remained optimistic, though. If Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff of all people could hang out with Steve and his pals on a regular, surely so would they. Steve sighed. He missed Sharon, but he was hopeful he would find someone more to his liking soon. A red-lipped English beauty who went to an all-girls school across town showed promise. One who he'd bumped into at the library the other day. Steve looked up from his food and giggled when he saw Natasha roll her eyes at Clint and Tony.

"Why are you two so stupid?" she chided playfully.

"Look, all I'm saying is that something that looks like sugar can't be all that bad for you." Clint replied.

"Clyde's right, ya know. I mean, sometimes there is a good reason to do it." said Tony.

Steve raised his eyebrows.

"To do coke? Seriously? Like what, T?"

Steve knew how uptight he seemed to the rest of them, so he made sure to smile and chuckle when he asked that. He found this conversation hilarious, and he wanted to prove he wasn't as much of a boyscout as they thought.

"He can probably think of a few scenarios." said Tony.

"Who?" asked Steve.

"Duh! Me!"

Steve and the others groaned and rolled their eyes. He hated always falling for that. Clint gave Tony a light smack upside the head which made him laugh. The two of them may have been going out now, but Steve knew Clint wasn't going to take any of Tony's third-person nonsense.

"Let me guess, dieting?" Natasha asked sarcastically.

Bruce chuckled.

"I don't think any of us have any trouble on that front." he said.

"You're a smart guy, Brucie Boy. You give us a reason." Tony prompted.

Bruce shrugged.

"Well, say you procrastinated on writing a twenty-page paper that's due in like in an hour. There's one."

The six of them laughed, and Steve decided he wanted in on the action.

"Say all your Tamagotchi pets are dying and you need to stay up all night taking care of them."

Clint, Natasha, Bruce, and Tony slapped the table and threw their heads back. Their howling laughter making some of the workers behind the counter stare.

"This fool said Tamagotchi pets! Oh god, I'm gonna pee!" Tony hollered at some point, not making things any better.

HAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! filled the entire restaurant, and Steve joined in. He was rarely the cause of such laughter so he felt accomplished. The only one not joining in on the hee-hee-hahs was Thor, who was looking down with his arms crossed. In fact, he had said close to nothing ever since they had left school. Steve thought it was maybe because of a rough day in class, but their insanely funny conversations heard not a single add-in from Thor. Whether he got their jokes or not, he was always chatty, so something had to be up. Steve wiped a tear from his eye when their laughing and coughing finally calmed down.

"Hey, big guy, what's up?" Steve breathed, clutching at his cramping ribcage.

Thor looked up slowly. His face was neutral, something else Steve knew was a rarity. Clint and Natasha did that regularly, but Thor was an open book when it came to what he was thinking or feeling. Everyone else looked at the Asgardian when they heard Steve's question. Thor faced them all and took a deep breath.

"My friends, I have some news." he said.

"What is it, Hammy?" asked Tony.

Steve stifled a snicker. "Hammy" was Tony's new nickname for Thor. Has been ever since Steve told him Clint said Thor's hair smelled like ham.

"Remember when I told you of how my father left last night on an unexpected journey out of the country? How he didn't tell me where or why?"

"Yeah." said Clint, his arm around Tony.

"Well, I was called into Principal Fury's office this afternoon before school was over. He and Son of Coul have assigned me as a mentor of sorts to a new exchange student who will be attending school here soon."

Natasha shrugged.

"And?" she asked.

Thor chewed on his thumbnail and looked to the side.

"My father has gone back to Asgardia to get him." Thor replied quietly.

Steve and Tony's eyes bulged. Wait a minute, then that means,...

"So what you're saying is, it's...it's-" Steve started.

Thor nodded.

"The one coming back with my father in a few days time is my brother, Loki."

***END***

A/N: There you have it! My very first fanfic on this site. I had a lot of fun writing this and I'm glad it's been read by some of you. What are your thoughts on Clony/IronHawk? You like all of the references and running gags I threw in there? Haha! Follow me if you want to see where this goes because the gang will be back for a SEQUEL! More backstory, more drama, more humor, more Marvel characters, and of course more smut. Thank you lots for reading! PS the next "chapter" is a sneak peek. Check it out!


	16. Preview of Hearts Aflame: The Circle II

Steve whined loudly, making Tony and Natasha roll their eyes at him. Clint raised an eyebrow. Sam, Bruce, and Thor all looked the other way, trying not to laugh.

"Oh come on!" said Steve.

Natasha shook her head.

"I know how you must feel Steve, but believe me when I say they're paying you a compliment."

She glared at Tony and Clint who only smirked at her.

"Because they're about to do some really stupid shit." she added.

Steve looked hopefully at Sam, who put his hands in the air.

"Eh don't look at me, man. I don't even know what we're about to do." he said.

"Nat's right, Steve. Besides, you get to stay here and hang out with her and Bruce. I don't see what the problem is." said Clint.

"They at least got a say in the matter. You know, you guys have got some freaking balls! Tell me why I can't go." Steve demanded, crossing his arms.

Clint scoffed and rubbed the side of his nose with his thumb.

"We know you, Steve. What we're about to do, you'd just say 'no'." he said bluntly.

Steve let out a small sarcastic laugh. He clasped his hands together as he clicked his teeth with his tongue.

"You know, we're supposed to be this sort of posse. Why do I have a feeling that's the excuse you're gonna use every time you feel like doing something outrageous?" he asked, letting them see how offended he was.

Tony put his hands on his hips and rolled his eyes.

"Steve, if Natasha is saying we're about to do something stupid, don't you think you should trust her judgment?" he asked.

"Yet you're bringing Thor." Steve pointed out.

Thor put his hands in his pockets, looking uncomfortable and shifting his weight back and forth on his heels. Bruce shrugged.

"He's got a point you guys." he said.

"Yeah well, Thor's only coming in case something goes wrong." Tony explained.

Steve arched an eyebrow and let his hands slap at his sides.

"Just what the hell are you guys about to do?" he asked, frustrated with all the secrecy.

Clint smirked mischievously.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Yes, I would." Steve retorted.

"Hey! Since this surprise event is for me, can I get a say in this?" Sam asked, looking shocked that they were talking like he wasn't even there.

"But of course, friend Sam." said Thor with an apologetic smile.

"Look, I don't know what the hell is about to happen, but Steve was my friend first. Today is about me if I remember your earlier words correctly. I say he comes with."

Tony and Clint opened their mouths to protest, but Sam crossed his arms and glared at them. Daring them to say something different. Tony raked his fingers through his hair and stomped his foot on the floor.

"Aw, dammit. Sometimes it sucks having a conscience." he said.

"Since when did you ever have one of those?" Bruce joked, giving Tony a playful elbow to the ribs.

Steve smiled and threw a fist pump. These guys didn't know what they were talking about! He could be crazy!... You know, if he wanted. Clint stepped forward and poked a finger in Steve's direction.

"Alright listen up, Captain; You wanna roll with the cool kids? Awesome. However, the only reason you're coming along is because Sam says so. Like Natasha said, we're about to do some stupid shit, but Tony and I are reckless like that so we have an excuse. You on the other hand, not so much. So if you come with us, you don't protest. At all. Not once, cuz if I even think you're about to start nagging, I will pull over and leave your ass on the side of the road to pick you up later. We got a deal?"

Clint stuck out his hand. Hearing his cryptic ultimatum made Steve want to back out. And he almost did, until he saw the way the others were looking at him. Faces that said things like "Yup, Steve's not doing this" "Old Steve Rogers, usual stick in the mud" "Just watch. He's about to chicken out right now." "Steve Rogers. Goodie two-shoes". Steve's blue eyes looked fiercely at them. He didn't know what was about to happen, but he was going to prove that they had him all wrong. He firmly shook Clint's hand, giving his own devilish grin.

"Deal." he said.

Clint nodded and slapped Steve on the back.

"Well, that's settled then." he said, still looking skeptically at Steve.

Bruce and Natasha walked away, shaking their heads as they passed Steve on their way back inside from the balcony.

"Hope you know what you're doing, Rogers." said Natasha before closing the door behind her.

Steve looked back at Tony. He gulped when he saw him rub his hands together and smile like the Cheshire Cat.

"Alrighty then, Steve. We're going for a drive. You, Sam and Clint head down to the garage. Thor, help me find the ropes." he ordered.

Steve's eyes widened. 

~Ropes? Ropes?! What the hell have I just gotten myself into?!~


End file.
